Dry Ground Burning

Just released from prison, Léa (Léa Alves Silva) returns home to the Brasilia favela of Sol Nascente and joins up with her half-sister Chitara (Joana Darc Furtado), the fearless leader of an all-female gang that steals and refines oil from underground pipes and sells gasoline to a clandestine network of motorcyclists. Living in constant opposition to Jair Bolsonaro’s fiercely authoritarian and militarized government, Chitara’s women claim the streets for themselves as a declaration of radical political resistance on behalf of ex-cons and the oppressed. A provocative portrait of Brazil’s dystopian contemporary moment that blends documentary with narrative fiction and genre elements, the latest film by Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós offers a unique vision of the country’s possible future.