Adding to his oeuvre of films set in Rio, Bruno Barreto’s 1950s–60s romantic drama follows American poet Elizabeth Bishop and her affair with architect Lota de Macedo Soares, designer of Rio’s Flamengo Park. Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings) portrays Bishop as icy yet vulnerable, while Glória Pires embodies the passionate Lota. The film juxtaposes Bishop’s alcoholism with Lota’s park obsession against the backdrop of Brazil’s brewing military coup. As their relationship unravels and Bishop returns to New York, the film offers a unique perspective on this turbulent period in Brazil’s history. It explores the quest for inspiration and is a cautionary tale on relationship dynamics. Marcelo Zarvos’s lush score features iconic Brazilian songs by Humberto Teixeira, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and Vinicius de Moraes, along with classics by Irving Berlin and Billie Holiday. 

4K restoration courtesy of L.C. Barreto Produções Cinematográficas.

This screening is followed by an in-person Q&A with Lucy Barreto, hosted by Adriana Rouanet.