Culture and revenge in the social war: comments on “Branco sai, preto fica”, of Adirley Queirós

Abstract

This essay proposes a reflection on the Brazilian film "Branco sai, preto fica" (2014), directed by Adirley Queirós, and its historical pertinence when capturing the dramatic point reached by the political and cultural dynamics of the country. The hybrid of documentary and fiction formalizes clashes with the new form of artistic production that has spread along with cultural collectives since the 1990s, while discussing the vicissitudes of the peripheral social experience. Finally, the essay suggests that its aesthetic boldness indicates a breaking motion with emergency mediations that encouraged capitalism in Brazil in recent years, but which, however, is not capable of crystallizing into a viable political alternative.