Charcoal — Charcoal
From director Carolina Markowicz comes Charcoal, an Argentine-Brazilian drama which follows a small family who loses an ailing grandfather in the São Paulo countryside. As the family’s hard times grow worse they encounter a drug lord in need of a disguise and a place to hide; a request which comes with a heft pay-out if the family can keep him hidden from the authorities. But his presence causes the family deeper troubles than they could have thought.
Charcoal is a pretty simple film at its core. Touching on some important themes of familial bonds but also the idea of familial parasitism which helps provide the dynamic of the small cast with some interesting chemistry. In particular, the husband's character has some great characterisation as he has to balance keeping his sexuality a secret from his family, a fact that makes him question his role as a role model for his son at points, but also keeping them afloat with his work. The theme of masculinity within the family unit is explored with some great comparisons between the father and the drug lord, with the latter ultimately having a greater influence over the young Jean; something which can be seen in the haunting final frame of the film.
Speaking of frames, this film is shot and photographed beautifully. The cinematography by Pepe Mendes brings this hazy, almost dusty and antiquated look the house and the countryside that immediately makes you feel like this a world that time has forgotten. It’s a visual aesthetic that captures the impoverished state of the family really well because it visually positions them in this vulnerable way which just looks gorgeous. The use of colour specifically throughout the film was excellent, with lots of quite moody blues and greys to further this melancholic atmosphere.
The performances throughout carry this very, for want of a better term, realistic quality. The characters here feel like humans just going through these struggles, reacting in ways we could see ourselves reacting. Maeve Jinkings leads the film as Irene, the matriarch of the family. Jinkings has constant discomfort in her performance as her character tries to process so much going on around her. Her very human moments of angry outbreak or upset silence; a moment where she pieces together a destroyed birthday cake sticks in the mind, particularly as a great demonstrator of this silence. Jean de Almeida Costa as Jean did an excellent job as well, especially given the actors very young age. They were able to get this very innocent worldview realised really well and they were able to carry many of the film’s more interesting sequences of familial tension.
Charcoal is one of 2022’s strongest dramas, and now with both a UK theatrical and digital streamed release, I can’t recommend it enough. Its presentation of tension and bonds in the family unit really struck a chord with me and the haunting presentation of the film’s visuals just add to this deeper sense of decay and parasitism. A film as strong as Charcoal doesn’t come around that often, so it’s most certainly worthy of your time