Brazil Abroad: The Constant Gardener

GB 2005, 128 min., German subtitles

Justin Quayle, played by Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient), is a diplomat in the British High Commission in Nairobi and the very opposite of his socially committed wife, Tessa (Rachel Weisz). He tends his garden and leads a peaceful life, until one day Tessa is found dead – murdered. Justin stumbles upon a conspiracy involving medical experiments in which not only the pharmaceuticals industry but also British government circles seems to be implicated ... Fernando Meirelles has made a brilliant film of John le Carré’s novel. After the film was premièred in January this year, it received great acclaim, and not only from le Carré. As in "City of God", Meirelles feverishly follows events with his hand-held camera. And even where his images of Africa are vibrant with colour, they reflect a search for authenticity – not ethno-kitsch.

Short subject:

Castanha e Caju Contra O Encouraçado Titanic

D: Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas, Brazil 2002, 6 min, orig. w/ Eng. sub.