Unveiling the Mystery and Legacy of a Nation’s Beloved and Revolutionary Voice – BRAZILIAN PRESS // O maior jornal brasileiro fora do Brasil

By Roger Costa
BELCHIOR: JUST A WILD HEART
For many Brazilians, Belchior was/is the most influential voice to ever emerge from the nation. A naturally polemic singer, songwriter and poet, he represented the marginalized classes, living as an immigrant, an outcast, a bohemian, a civilian and a revolutionary.
Gathering archival footage, interviews, backstage images, TV appearances and concerts, first-time directors Camilo Cavalcante and Natalia Dias craft a brilliant and accurate one-man show, an immersive take on the perspectives of a genius mind. The effective road-trip structure gives this documentary the privileged sense of an intimate encounter between the mysterious star and the viewer.

Completely told through his own words, memories, ideals and songs, it is a curious and unique approach to an investigative style that works just fine. Making clear that it is not necessary to gather other testimonies rather than his, the film focuses on the many resources, ideas and material given by Belchior himself- consisting in intellectual philosophies, artistic perspectives and humanist protests impossible to resist such intensity and veracity. It’s all relatable and very intriguing. The only person in fact given the chance to speak about him is Brazilian bombshell Elis Regina who appears singing, working wih Belchior and testifying about his talent and teamwork skills. There are also encounters with the Tropicalia group and singer Fagner.
The result is rich and visually enthralling, punctuated by Brazilian society’s history and political crisis. It also subtly depicts his involvement in politics and important role in the “Diretas Ja” movement.

While Belchior sings the sentiments of a Nation, deeply touching wounds and seeking through realism some sense of hope, the country fights for justice, equality, or simply for the right to feed their families. As Brazil struggles with an economic and dictatorship crisis, Belchior stands up for the minority becoming one of the biggest and most popular names in the country. The film follows his early days, as a humble young artist migrating from Northeast Brazil to the “Wonder South”, aka Sao Paulo and Rio, where he mingled with other artists and composers, to his collaborations, ascencion and fame, to his fall and disappearance. Every step the way, the directors display an important aspect of Brazilian history in the perpetual fight for dignity and stability.
Actor Silvero Pereira embodies the poetry of Belchior’s compositions as the film shifts tone inserting dramatizations of a man migrating from the dry lands of Northeast Brazil and heading towards the South where he’ll seek a better life. These precious moments fueled by lyricism and metaphorical relevance enhances in the narrative the sense of a road trip which in fact predominates since its opening sequence.
There has always been a sort of regional racism in Brazil, where most of the Northeast people are attacked and mocked (like the Indigenous people, the Black and LGBTQ communities) by most part of the country. This element is constantly addressed by Belchior himself, perhaps because he must have suffered bullying and attacks just for the fact of representing Northeast culture and traditions. But he takes it cool and makes the best of it, acknowledging his roots, his education and beliefs.
Born in Ceara in a family of 21 siblings, Belchior declares the religious elements were the central inspiration for his work. He believed the Church had influenced everything- including him. He studied at a Catholic school where he learned the best things in life: wine, cigars and women. He was one of the most important and influential figures in Brazilian Music history, a Cultural phenomenom, a mysterious man, a lover, a revolutionary.
Accurate, passionate and immersive, the directors conceived a fantastical musical documentary, a honorable and exquisite love letter to a notorious artist’s work and the importance of its preservation.
(A Clario Filmes. NY Premiere. NY Brazilian Film Series. Sunday, November 17 at 5pm at Cinema Village, Manhattan)