The powerful drama about guilt and reconciliation, having its world premiere at Toronto, is the biggest international hope this year from a Brazilian director In 2022, Gabriel Martins made waves at the Sundance Film Festival with “Mars One,” a sprawling ensemble drama chronicling the life of a Black Brazilian family. At that time, the industry was still wrestling with what a post-pandemic future would look like and, despite “Mars One” having a strong festival run, Martins struggled to secure financing for his follow-up. Four years later, with Netflix on board, the director returns to a major festival with “On Behalf of My Son,” world premiering in the prestigious Platform section of the Toronto Film Festival.
The drama reunites Martins with Rejane Faria, who seesaws between the visceral and the poised in her embodiment of Vicentina, the mother of a bus driver who apparently killed himself and dozens of passengers in a planned suicide crash. As the woman begins to pull at the complicated threads that made up her son’s psyche on the days leading up to the accident, she decides to contact the victims’ families and apologize on behalf of Wesley. Speaking with Variety ahead of the film’s premiere in Toronto, Martins notes how “Mars One” came out at a time when “Brazilian cinema was trying to recover” not only from the impact of COVID-19 but also from the major budget cuts for culture and political instability under the Bolsonaro government.
We were ready, as a production company, to make a film this big and make it the best it could be. Those were four years of maturing and making the most of all the doors ‘Mars One’ opened to us.” Having Netflix’s support gave Martins a much more robust budget and the possibility to deliver a film that remains intimate and heartfelt while also displaying a higher production value – including a memorable crash scene. It’s amazing to see how such a particular Brazilian story can connect with audiences across different cultures.” “‘On Behalf of My Son’ is a true testament to how sophisticated and diverse Brazilian cinema has become,” she adds.
We’re proud to partner with a unique Brazilian production company like Filmes de Plástico to bring such a sensitive and powerful story to the world.” But the film could have ten times its budget and still not work without a central performance as powerful as Faria’s, who is almost unrecognizable onscreen. The duo first met in 2013, when the actress was working with Maurílio Martins, one of the founding members of Filmes de Plástico, on the short film “Quinze.” “My understanding of cinema came from working with them. I left that film and made some more, learned some more, and eventually reunited with Gabriel in ‘Mars One’ and now ‘On Behalf of My Son.’” “Vicentina was a major challenge, something completely different from anything I had done before,” she adds.
He knew I could make it work and get her to the place he wanted. I gave all of myself to the role; I became a completely different person.” Faria credits the “trust” Martins had in her, as well as his sharp direction, with the success of her performance. I had a great desire to see a different side of myself, and this character, who required a lot of makeup and had completely different body language, allowed me to step out of myself.” With “Mars One,” Martins became the first-ever Black director to be chosen by Brazil to represent the country at the Oscars.
With “On Behalf of My Son,” the director once again brings a large Black ensemble to the screen, showcasing the strength of Black creatives in a country that still struggles with representation despite having the second-largest Black population in the world, and the largest outside of Africa. Martins cast the film himself, saying it is one of the things that “makes him the happiest” about the project. It’s a project that involves wanting to see a better world, and that goes through directing people’s gaze to these stories, to interesting people.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
