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Brazilian “The Father’s Shadow” is one of those occasional arthouse quasi-horror films, like “The Spirit of the Beehive” or Aussie “Celia,” in which the supernatural elements seem a poetical extension of a child protagonist’s distress at the inexplicable realities of the adult world. Recipient of a special jury prize (as well as an acting nod to its young lead) at Fantasia, Gabriela Amaral’s sophomore feature could parlay critical acclaim into offshore distribution beyond the festival circuit. Not entirely satisfying, it’s nonetheless a curiously poignant fable of profound premature loss, both enhanced and somewhat muddled by its slippery occult elements.

Nine-year-old Dalva radiates a sullen suspicion that’s off-puttingly unusual for her age. But she has good reason for resentment: Her mother has recently died, and father Jorge (Julio Machado) is not coping well, to say the least. When not toiling at a toxic Sao Paolo building job he hates,...

Stars: Eduardo Gomes, Dinho Lima Flor, Julio Machado, Nina Medeiros, Clara Moura, Luciana Paes, Rafael Raposo | Written and Directed by Gabriela Amaral Almeida

Dalva (Nina Medeiros), nine years old, plays in the dirt of her backyard. She has buried her doll here. In a disadvantaged neighbourhood of São Paulo, she lives with her aunt Cristina (Luciana Paes) and her father Jorge (Julio Machado), an exploited builder who works in unsafe conditions. Slowly, Jorge drifts away from his daughter, lost in the thoughts of his late wife’s yellow flower dress. The concrete and the dust have bruised his body. He is sick and lets himself rot, little by little. Inspired by her esoteric aunt and her favourite George Romero movie, little Dalva experiments with incantations and sorcery, in hopes of bringing her mother back from the dead, and saving her father from his demons.

Gabriela Amaral Almeida’s second film...