O Dia de Jerusa

"A Day with Jerusa" tells the story of the meeting between the sensitive Silvia, a young market researcher who faces the hardships of underemployment while awaiting the results of a public exam, and the graceful Jerusa, a 77-year-old woman who witnessed the daily life of the Bixiga neighborhood, filled with ancestral memories. On Jerusa's birthday, while she waits for her family to celebrate, the encounter between her memories and Silvia's mediumship allows them to travel through times and realities common to their ancestors.

I started watching the film, paused to discover the original short film, and returned after finishing that masterpiece, to be moved and fall in love with this one, just as beautiful, intimate, homely, made by people like us, for us, composed only of black actors, and one Asian, women, marked, we identify with, we feel embarrassed (who has never experienced an inconvenient menstrual leak), a wonderful drama, directed and written by the young and exquisite Viviane Ferreira. Simple, genuine and poetic.

At last a film from the black cinema that escapes the usual route of violence and prejudice and treats its characters with the utmost respect, integrity and plenty of other good qualities. Lovely and charming in all possible ways, "O Dia de Jerusa" ("The Day of Jerusa") presents a hard working pollster (Débora Marçal) who has to go against her usual scheduled route after arriving late at the office and she covers the area of Bixiga with the intent of making a survey on a washing powder. When she arrives at the house of an old lady (Léa Garcia), the Jerusa of the title, her work takes a different turn when the lady dodges the survey and starts talking herself and facts of her life as she prepares the arrangements of her birthday, with her relatives about to come at any minute.

Through her stories, that somewhat fits the survey, the younger woman is conquered by her sympathy, admiring all the difficulties and the glorious trajectory Jerusa went through to reach seniority. And it turns out that she end up becoming the true birthday present for Jerusa, and life will also provide a great reward to the worker in this special afternoon.

Brilliantly acted by the duo and amazing on all levels, here's a heartwarming story that doesn't disappoint, and it brings joy and special moments to viewers. It can make us think about unexpected and fortunate connection we have with strangers in our lives, those special accidents that some will call it fate and then in those apparently random and of little significance moments lives are changed for good.

A feature film of same story was made afterwards, and I might look out for it. 10/10.