O Homem das Multidões

Juvenal drives a tram in Belo Horizonte, one of Brazil’s main cities. This reticent man spends his spare time in his apartment. Whenever he’s thirsty, he drinks water from the one and only glass he possesses. His colleague Margô asks him to be a witness at her wedding, but this means that some sort of friendly relationship should exist between these two lonely people – and this takes time. O Homem das Multidões is the fascinating result of a collaboration between a filmmaker and a fine artist. The square format in which artist Cao Guimarães and director Marcelo Gomes have chosen to shoot their film turns this unhurried tale of loneliness into a series of artworks that combine the retro appeal of a Polaroid with the feel of a modern digital display. The plot explores the differences between self-imposed singledom and the kind of profound loneliness experienced by the protagonists – both archetypes of today’s industrial society – whilst life continues to rage and bluster about them.