Davi Pretto’s powerful debut introduces us to João Carlos Castanha, a 52 year old gay Brazilian actor and drag emcee. Straight away we are immersed in his psyche with a grim image of him, naked and bloody, stumbling down an eerie street. The tone is set in these moments for a silent and confronting world explored without restraint throughout the film.
Castanha is as fantastical as it is true to life, based on Pretto’s interactions with Castanha, who here plays himself. We are shown two sides to this man: on stage, the magical and charismatically funny drag performer; and off, a man plagued by guilt, passion and doubt.
Having gathered acclaim for his debut film at Berlin and Edinburgh Film festivals, 26-year-old writer/director Pretto is a talent to watch.
