Holland Festival – O Peixe – Jonathas de Andrade

In a loving embrace

On the northeast coast of Brazil, fishermen from a fishing village perform a ritual in which they hug their freshly caught fish.

The loving embrace accompanying the ritual marks the transition from life to death. The relationship between humans and animals is imbued with an ambiguous sequence of gestures of tenderness, violence and domination. This film was made with fishermen from Piaçabuçu and Coruripe, near the São Francisco River and the sea in northeastern Brazil. The utopian dream of a harmonious community with the natural environment emphasizes the city dweller's lack of connection with the nature that serves him.

The film moves between fiction and reality, fantasy and documentary. The obviousness of domination hides the core of this relationship, shaped by the constant use of strength, power and devotion.

Using stories from folklore, ethnography and anthropology, Jonathas de Andrade explores issues surrounding Latin America's colonial legacy, current violence and what the artist calls its 'urgencies and discomforts'.

'Growing up in Maceio, Alagoas, I came into contact with the complexity of the culture of Northeastern Brazil: the sugar cane culture, the plantations, the elites, the poor, the class conflicts. I observed and felt all these factors during my childhood that greatly influenced me, along with all the nuances that come with this power struggle.”

- Jonathas de Andrade