Malês: there is some undeniable strength to the story told by Antônio Pitanga in this historical drama; the film tells the story of an uprising by slaves in Bahia’s 19th century, mostly Muslim. The desire for self-determination is relatable enough, and the film smartly uses a marriage broken by slavery to reinforce the notion. However, the film has an excess of characters, all of whom are shallow and dull as a consequence. The performances (and the staging, as well) don’t help: generally stiff, as if the cast weren’t comfortable with the peculiar enunciation and accents, typically sounding unconvincing. The exception is Pitanga himself, in a pivotal yet minor role. The climactic uprising is messy, hard to follow (due both to cinematographer Pedro Farkas’ camerawork and editor Quito Ribeiro’s pacing), and filled with many head-scratching moments.