Rio Belongs to Us

This could be two films. Either it’s a film-noir thriller, in which information emerges in fits and starts in a roller-coaster ride to inevitable danger. Or it’s a psychological drama with a poetic bent, in which the viewer is immersed in the memories of the troubled protagonist.

The protagonist is Marina, who returns to Rio de Janeiro after an absence of 10 years. The motivation was a mysterious postcard, but Marina herself doesn’t really know why she is back in town. She looks for answers with an ex-boyfriend and her sister, but doesn’t get any further. Gradually, daydreams and reality start to mingle and paranoia grips her.

Rio Belongs to Us was made on a modest budget of less than 200,000 dollars, but that can’t be seen in the design. The camera effectively captures the light and space of the metropolis, which can be stunningly beautiful one minute and threatening the next. See also Harmonica’s Howl and Eden.

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