House of Sand

Tonight I stayed home and watched House of Sand (Casa de Areia) with Fernanda Montenegro.  The film truly captivated me with it's delicate yet engaging story in the sand dunes of Northern Brazil.  The cinematography was just phenomenal.  I first learned about Fernanda Montenegro after watching Central Station.

The film begins in 1910 as a mother (Fernanda Montenegro) and her pregnant daughter (Fernanda Torres) traverse the sand dunes to begin a colony, forced upon the husband of the pregnant daughter.  Eventually, the rest of the crew escapes and the husband dies leaving an older mother and her pregnant daughter at the mercy of the desert. Their main goal is to leave the desert and move back to the city, but the immense desert and lack of resources impede their goal.

I very much enjoyed the film and the ending was just perfect.