Public Solitude

"I never liked the idea of making a documentary," declares director Daniel Aragão at the start of this short film. He is a man who prefers action, and three minutes of waiting is his maximum. In , he explores this limit, asking people on the street to take a seat in front of his camera in a big white tent. He offers them three real (about one euro) for three minutes of their solitude. The tent is located on a square in Recife, a large Brazilian city known for its beaches, but also for its homicides, child abuse and shark attacks. Here, the crowd relentlessly roars at the enormous outdoor projection of the silent portraits shot inside. The camera infallibly captures the discomfort and vulnerability of the poor wretches who sell their soul for a song. They smile stiffly, wave, make the sign of the horns, defiantly lick their lips, or shed their tears.