When I say “film noir,” I bet black-and-white films come to mind, complete with harsh lighting, private detectives, and femme fatales. The narrative style became popular in the 1940s, a reflection of the cynical mindset that took over the US after years of the Great Depression and the rise of World War II. But it’s no longer strictly a Hollywood art form with Brazilian noir films advancing the genre.
The 40s, US films had a great impact on the cinema landscape, and it wasn’t long before people were reframing its tropes to fit more modern issues. In the post-Hays Code era of the 1970s, young filmmakers started to experiment with old genres such as noir, making the violence, sex, and corruption even more explicit. Their work became what we now call “neo noir.” Point Blank (1967), Taxi Driver (1976), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Fargo (1996). These films take film noir sensibilities and twist them into something new. While some of the visuals are still there – the imbalanced camera angles, the hard lighting – these films are much more interested in the complexities of modern crime and corruption. They aren’t afraid of letting the bad guys win. Unlike in the 1940s, where all villains – or even just sexually active women – had to be punished, in neo noir, the bad guys and the femme fatales often got away with it.
This is how the genre reached Brazil. While Brazilian filmmakers have always found ways to comment on political issues during dictatorship years (1964-1985), it was in the 90s and early 00s that the narratives started to become more explicitly critical.
Slowly, filmmakers began to play with the tropes, turning the uniquely American genre of film noir into something more relatable to Brazilian audiences. For instance, while the hardboiled men of the 40s return to a home they no longer recognize, due to crime and corruption, Brazilian noir leads don’t have an idealized home to aspire to. In fact, even before neo-noir reached our screens, our heroes were dancing around the edges, finding ways to succeed in a society molded, instead of perverted, by corruption.
Brazilian noir films also differ in their settings. While some kept the genre’s pension for shooting mostly at night or with constant rain, a lot of local filmmakers opted instead to adapt their stories to environments closer to our sunny reality. Rainy nights turned into oppressively hot days. Crowded cities morphed into quiet suburbs, attentively watched by the local militia.
Even though the genre was born out of American fatalism, it wasn’t long until Brazilian filmmakers fully integrated it into their art forms. From the 1981 adaptation of Nelson Rodrigues’ The Kiss on the Asphalt, to the tragic A Wolf at The Door (2016), Brazilian filmmakers have regularly put out some of the best neo-noir flicks of the past decade.
And if you need some hard evidence, here are five Brazilian neo-noir films you have to check out.
Neighboring Sounds (2012)
A unique take on the violence-ridden city, Neighboring Sound shows life in a middle-class neighborhood in present-day Recife, Brazil. Things take an unexpected turn with the arrival of an independent private security firm. The presence of these men brings a sense of safety and a good deal of anxiety to a culture that runs on fear. Meanwhile, Bia, a married and mother of two, must find a way to deal with the constant barking and howling of her neighbor’s dog. It’s a slice of ‘Braziliana’, a reflection on history, violence, and noise.
A Wolf at The Door (2014)
A child is kidnapped and her parents, Bernardo and Sylvia, decide to go to the police station. Slowly we learn about the father’s extramarital affair and how it might have played a role in his daughter’s disappearance. Based on real events, A Wolf at The Door is a modern and cynical take on the femme fatale trope, how she come to be, and how far we are willing to go with her plottings.
The Asphalt Kiss (2018)
Following the noir tradition of detective thrillers, The Asphalt Kiss is an adaptation of a 1960 Nelson Rodrigues’ play of the same name. It follows the aftermath of a man being run over by a bus who, while in agony, he asks a bank employee to kiss him on the lips. The gesture is transformed into a scandal by the tabloid press, leading the bank employee to not only be ostracized but also investigated by the police, who begin to suspect the accident was murder.
The Silence of The Rain (2020)
Based on a book by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza, this film incorporates many of film noir’s calling cards. A hard boiled, yet deeply empathetic detective, a mysterious femme fatale, and a focus on the hardness of urban life, iIt tells the story of Inspector Espinosa and Officer Daia, who are tasked with investigating the murder of an executive who was shot in the backseat of his car. When those involved in the case mysteriously disappear, the situation takes on unexpected proportions.
A Tooth for a Tooth (2021)
A noir thriller about corrupted institutions and revenge, A Tooth for a Tooth tells the story of Ademar, a leader in a private security company that provides services to a large construction company in São Paulo. When his business partner, Teixeira, disappears, Ademar begins an investigation and, together with Teixeira’s wife Joana, realizes that his friend was involved in a criminal scheme.
