“You’ll see a bit of noir, neo-noir, and eroticism, all blending danger and desire.” We interviewed Brazilian directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon in Berlin about their latest film, Night Stage, set in Porto Alegre.
For Brazilian directors Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, Berlinale is not new ground. They made their feature debut with Seashore in the Forum section in 2015, and their second film, Hard Paint, premiered in Panorama in 2018, where it won the Teddy Award for Best Film. This year, they are back with a very different film, Night Stage (Ato noturno), in the Panorama section.
In a freewheeling talk, the duo share their thoughts on making this special film set in Porto Alegre, their hometown. This is a film completely driven by performance and the desire of a secret affair between an actor and a closeted politician as they discover their fetish for having sex in public spaces, thus risking it all for love.
The film is driven by color and desire, where the boundaries between artifice and authenticity blur, and where the characters are propelled forward by their need for both freedom and connection. The camera becomes both voyeur and participant, shifting power dynamics and immersing viewers in Matias and Rafael’s nocturnal world.
“I think there were two main points that really drove us to create this film. First of all, to create these characters who have to perform two different lives. It’s always like a theatre to them, so they have this professional life, where they have to perform in a specific way. And then they also have their private lives, where they must live differently, dealing with being in public,” said Filipe.
This concept of performance has always been very important to them. Since their previous film, Hard Paint, the theme of online and offline identity was central. “And this was something we really had fun with. But, of course, we didn’t want to repeat ourselves. So, how could we understand performance in a different way, both politically and aesthetically? That’s why we thought of creating an erotic thriller, and since we are both cinephiles, we brought our love for genre films into this one. Hence, you’ll see a bit of noir, neo-noir, and eroticism, all blending danger and desire. I think this is something very cool, and it was very exciting to work with,” added Marcio.
The city also plays a crucial part in the film. “We lived most of our lives here, and it’s a very special place for us, a place we really know well. Brazil is vast and diverse, and it’s essential to try to portray the complexity of the country and its diversity, which compels us to tell stories that happen here. The places where the characters are located are very important to us. We always think of cities as characters as well,” they explain.
To them, it was interesting that both of these people were performers in their daily lives; as an actor or a politician, they have to perform publicly, which was fascinating. “We wanted these characters to go in and out of character all the time, feeling they had to compromise who they were.”
Since both directors were actors, it was interesting to see them direct one another to perform and create a story with bodies in motion, like a theatre performance, where dancing is very important to them. “It was a test for us, too—how can we create this dance in front of the camera?”
When asked about queer films, the duo said that what Berlinale does is very beautiful, not creating a specific section but integrating them into the regular sections. “I feel that the programming team understands queer history and aesthetics, knowing how these films can fit in seamlessly. These films are often undermined and struggle to reach a wider audience, but with initiatives like the Teddy Award, it helps give visibility to these films.”
Film Fest Report is an accredited media at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival.
