The Man of the Crowd

2014 • 93 minutes

About this movie

Berlin Film Festival 2014. Loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe’s story of the same name, Marcelo Gomes and Cao Guimarães—two of the most interesting filmmakers working in Brazil today—have crafted an elegant, parsimonious, and formally impeccable story of Juvenal, a lonely train driver in Belo Horizonte, and his encounter with Margo, a station controller. Emphasizing the theme of alienation in Poe’s story (and revealing Guimarães’s work as a visual artist), the two directors opted for an unusual format, a 1:1 aspect ratio, which serves to isolate the characters. Juvenal and Margo, who each embody a different form of urban solitude, have been brought together in this beautifully composed ode to friendship and study of alienation. Music by Gilberto Gil. Best Cinematography Guadalajara 2014