Sluggish but very well filmed and acted, this movie by Joaquim Pedro de Andrade portrays traditional life in Brazilian countryside. It is a portrayal very far from idealizations. Traditional life includes the rich man in town getting a poor girl to foster but instead having sexual relations with her and keep her stuck inside home when he is jealousy. The very same man exploits poor gem prospectors under conditions analogous to slavery. People acquiesce under that miserable life without considering any alternative (it is interesting to see that guns are not present, as they are not necessary to keep things stable). The local priest is obviously a leader, but what he does with this position is often ambiguous. Edition is not obvious, and its pinnacle may be the quite poetic sex scene.
Review of The Priest and the Girl
