O fim do sem fim (The end of the endless)

Cao Guimarães (b. 1965, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; based in Belo Horizonte and Montevideo, Uruguay)
"O fim do sem fim (The end of the endless)" 2001
Filmed in 16mm/Super-8/miniDV (1:30:00 min.)
Directed and edited by: Beto Magalhães, Cao Guimarães, Lucas Bambozzi

In this documentary, the directors set out on a journey through remote towns and villages in Brazil in search of crafts and professions that are near extinction. Filmed in the late 1990s and released in 2001, the work shows the imminent turn of the century, and the new millennium appears in the ominous imaginary of many outspoken characters whose “street philosophies” reflect upon a rapidly changing era. Twenty years later, the COVID-19 pandemic, a looming ecological catastrophe, and overall political and economic instability and uncertainty present a global crisis unlike any experienced before in modern times. This film helps us rethink what technological progress has brought to our lives, and how radically it has changed the social, creative and behavioral fabric of our societies.

Yet, far from a nostalgic take on romantically framed, disappearing ways of life, this film, shot in ten different Brazilian states, portrays the unique creativity, joy, and inventive power found among people with little formal education and often living in dire conditions at the margins of urban centers. Three of the most eccentric characters, self-named “masters,” remind us of medieval masterminds and innovators, or philosophers and sages that could have been roaming the streets of Athens 2,000 years ago. O fim do sem fim is as inspiring and humorous as it is political and serious. But it is also an experimental journey exploring new ways of telling stories about real life. The film is known across Brazil for its uniquely intuitive and aesthetic approach to documentary filmmaking, interweaving spontaneous narrative with carefully shot landscapes and paying careful attention to human gesture and photographic detail.

By Veronica Cordeiro (based in Montevideo)