Stairway to heaven

Teenage girl Tati lives at the very top of a flight of stairs in a favela in Rio de Janeiro with her mother, who is almost young enough to be her older sister. Her father is the former local crime boss and has been in prison since before she was born. But one day, he returns. For her first film, Laura Merians has created an image full of strength and colors at the heart of a classic tale of redemption whose visual narration elegantly takes over from the literary narration of the script. The strong and endearing characters round off this dizzying dive into contemporary Brazil, where violence has become totally normalized and is a part of the daily lives of millions of people.