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In the movie, Eduardo Moscovis is Danilo, a stage director obsessed with the injustice committed against XIX century farmer Manoel da Motta Coqueiro, case that initiated the process of extinction of death penalty in Brazil. Incited by a beautiful and mysterious woman, Danilo takes a fateful decision. He stages a play about the case with himself as Motta Coqueiro and psychiatric patients playing all the other parts. When the borders between reality and fantasy start to blend, Danilo relives the historical facts in first person, all the time conscious of the tragic doom of his character. Full with uncommon characters and surprising turns, the movie approaches the issue of death penalty in a refreshing new perspective.
Acting
Moscovis dissolves into dual identities with terrifying commitment.
Direction
D'amato weaponizes theatrical space until it suffocates.
Production
Psychiatric hospital as liminal purgatory—production design that cages.

Director
Cris D'amato
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes