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The Head of Gumercindo Saraiva

Name: The Head of Gumercindo Saraiva
Director: Tabajara Ruas
Released: 2018
Duration: 94 min

Representation Score

2.0/10

Limited

2018

Director

Tabajara Ruas

Runtime

94 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film operates as a traditional historical Western, focusing on themes of vengeance and the moral complexities of war. Its narrative structure is driven by masculine archetypes and individual ability to act, following the genre's conventions. While the film offers a nuanced look at the moral ambiguity of conflict and critiques institutional corruption, it lacks a systemic commitment to diverse representation. The focus remains on a cycle of violence and familial retribution. Ultimately, the work functions as a period piece that explores personal ethics rather than social hierarchy subversion.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Head of Gumercindo Saraiva have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film centers on a traditional masculine narrative focused on military conflict. There are no characters with non-binary or LGBTQ+ identities, nor are there any narratives that question the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does The Head of Gumercindo Saraiva portray gender?

Limited

The story emphasizes male-driven action and follows a patriarchal line of inheritance. It adheres to a conventional masculine framework without challenging typical gender roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Head of Gumercindo Saraiva?

Fair

Set in 1895 Brazil, the film reflects the socio-political dynamics of the time. It does not provide specific details about ethnic diversity or intentionally disrupt homogeneous casting norms.

How does The Head of Gumercindo Saraiva represent religion and culture?

Fair

The narrative explores the moral ambiguity of civil war and the deconstruction of honor. It portrays the state as a source of grotesque violence, highlighting institutional corruption.

Does The Head of Gumercindo Saraiva include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no characters with visible or invisible disabilities mentioned in the provided context.

Present on Screen

Offers a nuanced exploration of moral ambiguity and the deconstruction of honor.
Provides a critique of institutional corruption and state-sanctioned violence.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities or LGBTQ+ narratives.
Relies heavily on traditional masculine archetypes and patriarchal frameworks.

Official Synopsis

A fiction based on true events, which happened at the end of the Federalist Revolution in 1895, in the south of Brazil. When Gumercindo Saraiva was killed in an ambush and buried at graveyard at some roadside, the legalists discovered it, unburied the body, and cut its head off so it would be taken to the Governor as a war trophy. Major Ramiro de Oliveira and two men were chosen for the unusual task. The film tells the saga of the Capitan Franciso Saraiva, son of Gumercindo, and his team of five riders in the attempt to recover his father's head. The moments of approximation and distancing between the pursued and the pursuers, the confrontation and the conflicts, the duels that happened on both sides until the final encounter, when there are only Ramiro and Francisco left standing; all these events are thoroughly narrated in the film. The lessons learned in the journey blossom at end and both men, due to everything they went through, decide for an honorable outcome for them both.

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