CIFF

Charcoal

directed by
Carolina Markowicz
Original Title
Carvão
year
2022
country
Brazil, Argentina
language
Portuguese,Spanish
runtime
108
closed captions
No
audio description
No
english subtitles
Yes

In this dark satire from writer/director Carolina Markowicz, a charcoal-making family struggling to make ends meet on the outskirts of Joanópolis accepts an offer from their dying patriarch’s new nurse: secretly house an on-the-lam Argentinian drug lord in exchange for riches untold. —M.G.


Struggling to keep her small independent charcoal farm afloat and care for her very ill father, Irene accepts an offer to house an on-the-run drug boss in her family home. It is an immediately contentious arrangement: her husband Jairo is skeptical but reckless with their new financial security, and the criminal quickly rebels against the confines of his captivity in their modest home. His presence has an increasingly undeniable influence on their lives, including on their young son Jean. The drug boss’s growing restlessness risks both their exposure and their newfound stability. CHARCOAL is a dark satire about financial exploitation, as well as the moral and personal costs of scaling up the economic ladder. —C.F.


Content Warning: This film contains material that may be difficult for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.

Queer Cinema
Latinx & Hispanic Cinema
Only at Playhouse Square
New Direction Competition
Reel Women Direct Award for Excellence in Directing By a Woman