Território do Brincar (Territory of Play)

Abstract

Book and Film Reviews 146 Film Review Território do Brincar (Territory of Play) A film by Estela Renner, Luana Lobo and Marcos Nisti (producers) and David Reeks and Renata Meirelles (directors). (2015). Brazil: Alana Intitute. 90 minutes. Project website: http://territoriodobrincar.com.br Opening shot: a vast expanse of sand dunes in Nova Tatajuba, in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The wind is blowing, it is the only sound. The sun is low in the sky, the shadows are long, the shot is low. Into frame, at some distance, silently, comes a boy with a board. He sits on the board and propels himself down an enormous, steep dune. Another boy dune-surfs standing up—he is proficient. A smaller girl, close to the top of the dune and to the camera, rolls down, squealing, momentarily looking at the camera. Cut to a different landscape: a torrential downpour, where small children revel in the wetness of it, at ground level, sitting and splashing in deep muddy puddles as the heavy rain washes over them. There is the sound of the rain, but no sound from the children. The Territory of Play (Território do Brincar) describes itself as a documentary that “weaves a tapestry out of the gestures seen in children’s play throughout Brazil” (back cover copy of DVD box). It is this and more. It is a thing of beauty, a work of art: the striking photography, the thoughtful sequencing, the sensitive soundtrack of original music and the (often small) sounds of children at play, all combine to create a remarkable aesthetic. Noticeably absent is any adult commentary; for me, this is one of the film’s great strengths. Of course, adults have labored over hours of footage to select material that weaves this particular tapestry, but they have not succumbed to the adult tendency to interpret, to impose meaning and value. The film is one artifact from a much larger project “dedicated to listening, exchanging knowledge, documenting, and disseminating the culture of childhood” (project website). Filmmakers Renata Meilleres and David Reek build on their extensive research into children’s play, games and toys across diverse regions of Brazil over the last 15 years, including rural, coastal, indigenous and urban communities. The project is one of sharing this knowledge with schools and the public to show the rich culture, creativity and capacities of Brazilian children of all ages, from toddlers to teens. Included in the DVD pack are some postcards, each with a different picture from the research project, and the message: You wouldn’t believe how many times we’ve heard someone say, ‘Kids just don’t know how to play anymore.’ It drives us nuts… For two years, our project documented the way kids play all over Brazil. We were so impressed with what we saw: the creativity, the grace, the vigor. Book and Film Reviews 147 In additional material, the filmmakers talk of creating dialogue with the children, leaving them to decide what to show about their play cultures. The often closerange filming offers an insight into facial expressions, concentration, immersion, dexterity. There is a sense of awe at the knowledge and skills evident in this “territory” of play, a metaphor emphasizing how children’s cultures are “another country” for adults, and also how landscape and culture are deeply interwoven. Consistent themes emerged from many hours filming across 19 communities and nine states, but these are fluid. For example, although there were often strict divisions between girls’ play (making houses, playing with dolls, skipping, Chinese jump rope, five stones, etc.) and boys’ play (making wheeled toys, sailing boats, guns, playing at heroes, hunting animals, etc.), these are often entwined mingle both through “border-crossing” (occasionally showing boys building play houses or involved in “small world” forms of play, or girls involved in hunting animals or playing on rafts) and through intersections (building a fire to cook the electric eel, enacting a baptism or a wedding complete with a feast and live music, playing the scary masked chasing game of Careta in Acupe, Bahia). Children use whatever is to hand (natural resources, scrap the adult world has discarded, old broken toys) to play, build and...