Éden

In the beautiful opening scene, a tear trickles from the left eye of a pretty young woman whose face is filmed in close-up. The droplet however does not fall down, but defies gravity and moves sideways. When the camera zooms out, it becomes clear that the woman is lying in a sky-blue indoor swimming pool, with both her hands clamped around her enormous belly. She is very pregnant.
What follows is a penetrating portrait of a lonely, terrified woman in the last few days of her confinement. She desperately seeks support from a TV evangelist, who in front of his camera confronts her with the man who shot the father of her unborn child.
Leandra Leal is amazing in the leading role, and the beautiful photography of the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro and the hypnotic soundtrack (Leal for instance gives a memorable if not entirely in tune interpretation of the Spandau Ballet hit True) contribute to the intense alienating mood. Also see Harmonica’s Howl and Rio Belongs to Us.

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