Marcelo Gomes Teams Up with Alfredo Castro for Dystopian Thriller ‘Cape of Pleasures’

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12 years following their collaboration on “The Man of the Crowd,” which was shown at Berlinale, esteemed directors Marcelo Gomes (“Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures”) and Cao Guimarães (“From the Window of My Room”) are reuniting to create a new film entitled “Cape of Pleasures.” This dystopian thriller is one of the chosen projects for this year’s CineMart, which is the co-production market at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

In an exclusive conversation with EbMaster before the festival, Gomes reveals that the concept for the film was born from introspective discussions with Guimarães about their shared concerns. “In ‘The Man of the Crowd,’ we created a film exploring our concern over loneliness in urban environments. ‘Cape of Pleasures’ emerged from our apprehension towards aging in a nation that harbors an underlying longing for eternal youth. In Brazil, growing old is often seen as a form of transgression.

In a future not too far off in Brazil, under a totalitarian regime, the elderly are confined to institutions where their memories are harvested for an advanced AI system. A man, shocked by this development, breaks free from one of these institutions and teams up with a group of rebels aged 75 and above who are leading a resistance. ”

Here’s another option:

“In the imminent future, Brazil is under a totalitarian regime that forces the elderly into facilities where their memories are extracted for an AI system. A man, appalled by this turn of events, flees from one such facility and joins a rebellion led by older dissidents.

In Gomes’ perspective, there’s an increasing surge of far-right organizations globally, such as Brazil, which has led them to ponder about how these groups will manage aging since they view aging as unproductive. The movie “Cape of Pleasures” features the elderly as rebels and the young as supporters of the oppressive system. This is an intention to challenge the status quo because films often depict the elderly as submissive figures. This reflection, though the film may be set in the future, could realistically occur within the next five years.

Gomes is traveling to Rotterdam to find the remaining funds needed, having already secured 80% of the budget. The director, along with partner Ernesto Soto under their production company Misti Films, has been producing the film in collaboration with Uruguay after receiving Ibermedia funding. They are currently seeking a third country to co-produce, ideally from Europe, to assist with the film’s global distribution and increase post-production possibilities, as well as finding a sales agent.

Due to the Uruguayan collaboration, directors Gomes and Guimarães decided to broaden their search for actors, with the director announcing to EbMaster that well-known Chilean actor Alfredo Castro, who has often worked with Pablo Larraín, will be cast as Nelson in the main role.

Gomes expresses his long-standing desire to collaborate with this exceptional actor, stating, ‘I can’t hide my excitement!’ He considers himself fortunate to have him as part of the team. The rest of the cast will be Brazilian, and we are considering talented actors who, despite their impressive skills, find it challenging to secure roles due to their age. Regrettably, there are numerous such cases.

Regarding the significant global acclaim achieved by his fellow countryman Walter Salles with “I’m Still Here” – now the inaugural Brazilian film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards – Gomes reflects on the time when he was seeking financing for his debut feature, “Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures.” During that period, Salles was promoting “Central Station,” which was itself nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars in 1998. Notably, this film also marked Brazil’s first-ever acting nomination, given to Fernanda Montenegro.

Gomes shares that whenever he’d visit market festivals, people would discuss the movie right away upon learning he was from Brazil. Walter has significantly boosted our cinema’s international appeal, sparking curiosity worldwide. The film brought us a lot more attention internationally, and this won’t be any different with ‘I’m Still Here.’ It’s an exciting time for Brazil, and I am overjoyed for Walter and the movie.

The film titled ‘Cape of Pleasures’ was jointly created by Brazil’s Cinco em Ponto and Misti Films, along with Martin Almada from Uruguay’s Criatura Cine.”

Or simply:

“Brazil’s Cinco em Ponto and Misti Films, together with Uruguay’s Criatura Cine’s Martin Almada, produced the film called ‘Cape of Pleasures’.

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2025-02-01 18:18