The Re-Enchanted Self: notes on Santo Forte and Estamira

Abstract

This essay examines the representations of the self in two documentary films: Santo Forte (1999) directed by Eduardo Coutinho and Estamira (2004), directed by Marcos Prado. In both films the religious and mystical beliefs of the interviewed subjects reveal multiple forms of subjectivity that express the juxtaposition between disenchanted and re-enchanted modernities in the contemporary city. As they register the beliefs, experiences and mystical visions of the interviewed subjects, each director forges pacts of reciprocity with his characters. In Santo Forte, this pact is shaped by the director’s technique of empathetic listening. The realistic register of the camera frames the narratives of the interviewed subjects but the camera eye does not offer visions of the re-enchanted world fashioned by their beliefs. In Estamira, the visionary and apocalyptic contents of her speech are reinforced by poetic images combined with realistic documentary sequences.