Open your senses to a refreshingly original, uniquely visual animated film from Brazilian artist Alê Abreu. Employing everything from mosaics to watercolors, the film overflows with delight, exploding with vibrant color and samba/hip hop rhythms. The story focuses on Cuca, a young child growing up in the Brazilian countryside with his family. One day, his father leaves to work in the city, forcing Cuca to embark for the metropolis, hoping to bring his family back together.
The animation starts simply, but as Cuca ventures further into the world, the visual style takes on a greater complexity, eventually creating a neon-infused cityscape with a variety of strange characters never seen before. The seemingly simple story unveils the conflict between country and city, poor and wealthy, handmade to motorised in such a way that audiences of all ages will experience different levels of the same narrative. Abreu’s film is captivating, keeping attention rapt for its full 
running time with hardly a line of dialogue all the way to its surprising and emotional finale. Scooping the top awards at the Annecy and Ottawa Animation Festivals, this film is a visual feast for all ages.
2014, 85’00
At Barbican book tickets
