Charcoal: an unusual take on setting a stranger in the middle of a different environment, Carolina Markowicz’s drama tells the story of a miserable family in rural Brazil that gets a load of money to host a foreign man in their house. The conflicts that arise, within the family and without, have a lot to say about those characters, present, past and future. Acting is quite good: Maeve Jinkings plays the hard-working mother who has to take tough decisions to keep her family afloat, and she projects her inner strength effectively. César Bordón plays the stranger, a man used to getting his way but very much out of his environment. Aline Marta plays the middle woman in this transaction. Production designer Marinês Mencio creates a very credible rural family home, crowded and modest. Cinematographer Pepe Mendes captures it all with quiet and elegant camera work.