A farmer drags a cross 700km and the church says 'nah' — Brazilian bureaucracy meets divine drama.
Adaptation of the series shown in 1988. The humble farmer Zé do Burro makes a promise to Santa Bárbara to save his donkey Nicolau from death. The payment is to carry a heavy cross from the interior of Bahia to a church in Salvador. When you reach the steps of the church, with injured shoulders, you have to deal with the incomprehension of a conservative priest.
Acting
José Mayer's shoulders literally carry this film. The suffering is real.
Production
Yamasaki captures Bahia's colors and contradictions with telenovela grandeur.
Director
Tizuka Yamasaki
José Mayer
Zé do Burro
Denise Milfont
Rosa/Iansã
Walmor Chagas
Padre Olavo
Nelson Xavier
Bonitão
Joana Fomm
Marli
Guilherme Fontes
Aderbal
Osmar Prado
Padre Eloy
Mário Lago
Dom Germano
Diogo Vilela
Lula
Stênio Garcia
Seu Dedé
Yara Cortes
Dona Dagmar
Lúcio Mauro
Doutor Quindim
Zeni Pereira
Mãe Maria de Iansã
Ana Beatriz Nogueira
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This adapts the iconic 1988 Globo miniseries, itself based on Dias Gomes' 1960 play—a cornerstone of Brazilian theater that interrogates Catholic hierarchy's treatment of the poor.
Yamasaki's version leans harder into the Candomblé elements than the original, making Rosa/Iansã's possession more visually explicit and politically charged.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
BR
