Sightlines · reception

How Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury was received

2013 · Luiz Bolognesi · Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury on Sightlines

The arc

It slipped in and out of Brazilian cinemas fairly quietly in 2013, but its shock win of the top prize at Annecy the same year turned it into a point of national pride — and it's since become a reference point for the wave of grown-up Brazilian animation that followed.

What’s debated

The recurring split is whether its sweep through centuries of Brazilian history plays as bold political cinema or as a well-meaning history lesson that's more admirable than gripping.

Its footprint

Its motto — 'To live without knowing the past is to walk in the dark' ('Viver sem conhecer o passado é andar no escuro') — is the line everyone quotes, and the film gets wheeled out in Brazilian classrooms and history debates far more than most animated features.

Where it stands

Internationally it's a festival-circuit deep cut, but among Brazilian cinephiles and adult-animation fans it's a 'you should have seen this' badge of honor.

Did you know? It won the Cristal for Best Feature at Annecy 2013 — the first Brazilian film ever to take the festival's top feature prize — with a voice cast led by Selton Mello, Camila Pitanga and Rodrigo Santoro.