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“Heartless” is the debut feature from the Brazilian director duo Nara Normande and Tião. Prior to this film, Normande had made three short films, including the critically acclaimed animated short “Guaxama,” which won awards at many film festivals. “Heartless” premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival and is based on the directors’ 2014 short (also co-directed by Tião) of the same name. The film follows a girl from a fishing village, as she prepares to leave for college in the city of Brasilia. During her last few days in the village, she becomes intrigued by a strange girl. While exploring societal constructs, going as far as delving into the origin of toxic masculinity, in addition to a character analysis that shows how such traits persist in future generations, the film leaves many other narrative threads underdeveloped, leading to a rather chaotic experience at times.
Original Title: Sem Coração
Directed by: Nara Normande, Tião
Year: 2023
Country: Brazil, France, Italy
Length: 90 minutes
The movie transports us to a quiet fishing village on the North-East coast of Brazil, during the summer of 1996. The story follows Tamara (Maya de Vicq) as she prepares to attend college in Brasilia, away from home, and her fascination with a mysterious local girl known as ´Heartless´ (nicknamed by the local community after the scar on her chest.) As Tamara’s departure nears, she becomes increasingly captivated by the girl. The film delves into the lives of both girls, as well as their families and interactions with other villagers. It serves as a canvas for exploring themes of toxic masculinity and suppressed sexuality.
The film’s nuanced portrayal of gender, sexuality, and queerness is its greatest strength, Tamara´s repressed sapphic identity and her growing attraction to Heartless (Eduarda Samara) is one of the film’s many focuses, capturing curiosity and repressed desire in a stiflingly conservative environment. In addition to Tamara´s arc, the film manages to provide a profound exploration of the social dynamics of a small village as a whole, where toxic masculinity is explored through conversations among community members. Similarly to Tamara, many male characters also display a type of suppressed queerness, which manifests through both subtle and overt homoerotic interactions. However, these interactions are often masked by exaggerated displays of masculinity towards one another and the rest of the community. For instance, in one scene, the boys gather in an empty pool and take turns on having public intercourse with the timid Heartless, displaying their masculinity. Furthermore, a conversation between a father who had abandoned his son while in prison highlights how such attitudes are passed down through generations. These characters serve as a powerful illustration of how deeply ingrained gender norms can perpetuate a cycle of emotional suppression and outward aggression.
In addition, the audience is given a peek into Heartless’ world of isolation. She lives alone with her father who is a fisherman. Heartless wishes to join her father in his maritime expeditions, which adds another dimension to the film’s exploration of traditional gender roles. However, this also introduces a theme of class, as her father expresses his desire for her to have a better future, as he claims that fishing is not a fulfilling life. Unfortunately, the movie fails to fully develop these subplots. Heartless is a fascinating character and serves as a compelling contrast to Tamara, but her character is mostly unexplored, leaving the audience with unanswered questions. Although subplots that involve a stranded whale, cryptic dream sequences, and familial bonds are fascinating at first, they are ultimately underdeveloped and tend to confuse rather than coherently add to the central message.
Nevertheless, “Heartless” remains a film that is worth watching due to its ambitious attempt to explore the complexities of identity, masculinity, and the suffocating influence of tradition on a small community. Although the plot has some weaknesses, it succeeds in starting a conversation about intricate issues that still resonate today. The film critiques and laments the impact of systemic gender and sexual norms that contribute to a cycle of repression and toxicity. While the film may not fully deliver on all of its narrative promises, it provides a compelling analysis of masculinity.
“Heartless” premiered at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival in the Orrizonti competition.
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