Menarca (2021)
Menarca
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Why watch this film?
Menarche is the name given to the first menstrual blood of a woman, marking the transition to puberty. It is a moment of growth and development, but also of fear. After all, it is at this point that violence against female bodies begins to be practiced, with exaggerated sexualization and even fear of what lies ahead. And it is precisely about this that director Lillah Halla speaks in her first short film, which carries this name full of symbolism. 'Menarche'. In the story, with cold and washed photography, we follow the journey of a young girl, in a fishing village, who is precisely going through this affliction while a creature appears in the region, captured by the town's men. Full of metaphors and with a fable air, the production hits the mark by transforming pains, fears and apprehensions into images and events perceptible to the viewer - like the piranha, which infests the city's rivers, as a reference to the violence committed by man. Even with evident technical issues, such as disastrous sound capture, it is a film that allows for complete immersion in the story while provoking the viewer to leave his comfort zone, either visually or narratively. It's good to follow Halla and her future works.
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Plot summary
In a Brazilian village infested with piranhas, Nanã and Mel are growing fast into adolescence as they dream of ways of protecting themselves against a seemingly inescapable violence. When a mysterious body appears tangled in a fisherman’s net, they learn what might be their ultimate protection.
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