Why ‘Invisible Life’ Director Was Compelled to Make a

zWhen filmmaker Karim Aïnouz learn Martha Batalha’s e-book “The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao,” he wished it was a novel he may’ve written. The e-book was not solely a well-known story in his residence nation of Brazil, however he picked up on quite a few similarities between the e-book’s characters and his personal grandmother and mom.

The e-book was so iconic that he even felt conflicted about being a person directing a film primarily based on a quintessentially feminine story. But along with his movie “Invisible Life,” Brazil’s official submission to the International Feature race on the Oscars, he felt it was time to do a portrait of his mom’s era.

“I thought it was an important portrait to do of women of a certain generation who I thought had been not really represented, neither in literature, history or cinema,” Aïnouz instructed TheWrap’s Steve Pond following a screening of the movie Monday on the Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles. “And I thought it was an important document, the novel itself, because it talked about women that probably today who are 90 or 80 years old, and it was important to tell their stories while they are still here.”

Also Read: How ‘Queen of Hearts’ Director Made a Feminist Story About a Bad Person

“Invisible Life” is the story of two sisters, Euridice and Guida, who’re separated from one another whereas dwelling in Rio within the 1950s. The two live mere miles aside, however their father, ashamed that Guida ran off and have become pregnant out of wedlock, banishes her from the household and lies to Euridice that her sister ever returned residence.

Aïnouz labored inside the melodrama style to make this era movie related to how girls are nonetheless combating for rights and company of their lives and households at present. He was equally impressed by the movie “Imitation of Life” and by Brazilian cleaning soap operas, and he finally felt this style was proper to inform this era’s story.

“There are so many things that have changed between the 1950s and now, but particularly in Brazil, there’s a nostalgia for a certain kind of family and femininity,” Aïnouz mentioned. “How can I do this without making it seem dusty or stale? It’s treated as a subgenre, but it’s probably the most politically efficient genre of all time, because it really talks about people who have been put down. It’s really about that struggle between the world and the individual, and this is the time to do it.”

Also Read: ‘The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao’ Wins Top Award in Cannes Un Certain Regard Section

Aïnouz additionally took a noticeable departure from Batalha’s e-book, as he felt it was essential to indicate the repercussions of what this father has carried out to Guida and Euridice’s lives. He spent years writing and creating his adaptation, and it wasn’t till two months earlier than capturing that he lastly discovered the proper scene that would match the story he aimed to inform.

“When I started, I thought I was just telling the story of my family, but when I really dove into the book, I realized it was the story of a lot of women,” Aïnouz mentioned. “I felt this was the time to do a portrait of a generation of my mother, and there was something there I needed to go back to. For me, this was a document of war. These women have been through so much that we know so little about.”

“Invisible Life” made its premiere on the Cannes Film Festival and received the Un Certain Regard prize, and it hits American theaters starting on Dec. 20.