When water becomes currency, loyalty becomes debt — and everyone's thirsty for power.
Curral is a political drama set in the rural Brazilian city of Gravatá. During the mayoral elections, the population is divided between the Blue and Red parties, two political oligarchies fighting each other for power. A recent severe drought means water is the main bargaining chip when it comes to securing a majority of people's votes. Chico Caixa is a former city employee. He lost his job trying to take water supplies to a poor neighborhood which had been abandoned for political reasons. Caixa is invited by a childhood partner, Joel, to work on his councilor campaign. Joel presents himself as a new alternative to the older candidates, who have been in power for decades. But as the campaign progresses, Chico Caixa soon realizes that breaking apart from the established political game is not always as easy as it may seem
Acting
Thomás Aquino's quietly devastating everyman performance.
Cinematography
Parched landscapes that feel politically intentional.
Writing
No heroes, just humans calculating survival.
Director
Marcelo Brennand
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Gravatá is a real city in Pernambuco where water scarcity and political clientelism have historical roots; the 'Blue vs Red' parties deliberately evoke Brazil's polarized present without naming names.
Director Marcelo Brennand based Chico Caixa on multiple real municipal workers fired for humanitarian 'insubordination' during drought crises in Brazil's northeast.
BR
