O Jovem Tataravô: A Ghostly Mess from 1936

Should you watch this?

Honestly, only if you have a weird itch to see how Brazilian cinema was fumbling around with ghosts in the thirties. If you need a tight, fast-paced comedy, keep walking. You’ll probably hate it if you get bored by people talking in rooms for ten minutes straight.

There is this one moment during the séance scene that feels like it lasts an entire afternoon. The lighting is super flat, like they just left the overhead lamps on and hoped for the best. 👻

Our great-great-grandfather pops back into existence looking like he just stepped out of a nap. It’s supposed to be funny, I guess? Mostly it’s just awkward watching him try to understand 1936, which, to be fair, was a weird time anyway.

Old School Vibes

It’s not as polished as something like Chandu the Magician. That movie had some actual flair. O Jovem Tataravô feels like someone’s uncle decided to film a stage play with a handheld camera they didn't quite know how to focus.

• The dialogue is stiff as a board.
• The actors keep looking at things that clearly aren't there.
• The mustache on the lead guy is doing more acting than his eyebrows.

Sometimes the movie just stops. Like, the characters run out of things to say, so they just stare at the wall or walk slowly across the frame. It’s not profound, it’s just… empty. It feels a lot like The Saphead but without the charm or the slapstick that actually lands.

There’s a weird bit where they try to explain the séance rules. I stopped listening about halfway through. Does it matter? Not really. The movie doesn't seem to think the rules matter either, so why should I?

Watching this made me think about The Hound of the Baskervilles. That one knew how to use its shadows. This one? It uses its shadows to hide the fact that there isn't much of a set behind the actors.

It’s an odd, dusty little relic. I don’t think anyone meant for it to be a masterpiece. It just exists. And honestly, that’s kind of fine. 🕰️