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The Age of Stone

Name: The Age of Stone
Director: Ana Vaz
Released: 2013
Duration: 29 min

Representation Score

6.0/10

Fair

2013

Director

Ana Vaz

Runtime

29 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Ana Vaz’s documentary succeeds by deconstructing traditional national histories through a speculative, geological lens. It moves away from Eurocentric views of progress by centering the narrative on the Brazilian west and its mythic landscapes. The film's strength lies in its ability to challenge institutional hierarchies. By treating the construction of Brasília as a site of prophecy and myth rather than just state-building, it creates space for a more pluralistic understanding of history. However, the film remains neutral regarding LGBTQ+ and disability representation. While its conceptual framework is progressive, it lacks specific, visible markers for these identities within the available narrative.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Age of Stone have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not include explicit representations of LGBTQ+ identities or same-sex relationships. While the focus on myth and prophecy could allow for non-traditional themes, there are no clear LGBTQ narratives present.

How does The Age of Stone portray gender?

Fair

The film disrupts traditional patriarchal narratives by reimagining the construction of Brasília. This speculative approach offers a fresh perspective that deviates from conventional, linear progress stories often centered around male figures.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Age of Stone?

Good

By focusing on the Brazilian savannah and local geological history, the film avoids Eurocentric monumentalism. It emphasizes non-Western perspectives through its exploration of indigenous and adjacent landscapes and local myths.

How does The Age of Stone represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film critiques Western-style urbanism by presenting Brasília through the lens of ruins and myth. It favors personal, non-institutional truths over state-sanctioned historical narratives.

Does The Age of Stone include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of characters or subjects with visible or invisible disabilities. The current information does not provide a basis for assessing disability representation.

Present on Screen

Challenges Eurocentric and Anglo-centric views of monumentalism and progress.
Emphasizes local, non-Western historical perspectives and mythic narratives.
Disrupts traditional, patriarchal historical accounts through a speculative framework.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or queer narratives.
Provides no visible or invisible representation of individuals with disabilities.

Official Synopsis

A voyage into the far west of Brazil leads us to a monumental structure - petrified at the centre of the savannah. Inspired by the epic construction of the city of Brasília, the film uses this history to imagine it otherwise. "I look at Brasília the way I look at Rome : Brasília began with a final simplification of ruins". Through the geological traces that lead us to this fictive monument, the film unearths a history of exploration, prophecy and myth.

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