Realism and popular in contemporary Brazilian cinema

• Grant number: 12/51335-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2013
• End date: July 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology
• Principal Investigator: Waldenyr Caldas
• Grantee: Ana Daniela de Souza Gillone
• Host Institution: Escola de Comunicações e Artes (ECA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The bond that exists between representations of the popular and realist aesthetics in the history of Brazilian cinema corroborates the purpose of this research regarding its analysis on the aesthetic, political and social aspects of the movies that portray contemporary popular themes. The recent cinema that is interested in the universe of popular classes usually uses images considered documental, among other elements that reinforce supposedly realist characteristics in their aesthetics, which instigates us to question about their political condition. To know the means by which contemporary movies have engaged with the moment to build a critique about the country. The challenge is to find the connections between the political and social issues and the forms of representation of the popular in movies, considering what they provoke, the standstills they tackle and, still, the way how they position themselves in the history of cinema and of the country. The tensions that arouse in the process of the construction of representations of the popular - from production to filmic reception - are the main points of analysis. In this process aesthetic realism has a paramount role. So then it is a matter of thinking which are the constructs that have developed in the association between popular and realism. (AU)