O amigo Dunor

In the 1970s, Brazil – and much of the rest of Latin America – was ruled by military dictatorships. O amigo Dunor (the friend from the North) is not only set during these ‘years of lead’, it looks as if the film comes directly from that, as if the cans of film have only recently been found in someone’s cellar. The fascinating deconstruction of the film is made up of several story levels. Marcel, a young French writer, comes to Brazil to fulfill his childhood dream: to get to know exotic Brazil, go to the Amazon and write a book about his experiences. After his arrival in Rio de Janeiro, he quickly makes friends with a group of people working on a crime thriller. Stan is the director of this film, his wife Carla and her daughter Melissa act in it. Julio, an Argentine refugee, is the scriptwriter. This film in the film is about the blind Louis and the handicapped Marta, a married couple with many problems in their relationship and with money. Louis decides to get rid of Marta. Since the couple hardly has any contact with the outside world, no one will miss her. Marta figures out what Louis is planning and invents a girlfriend she talks to on the phone. The film montage on which Stan is working, is inter-cut with the world of Marcel and his new friends and refers to the situation in the country. Alcazar uses a bizarre, authentic and very personal video style in O amigo Dunor. (SdH)