Tuesday, April 9, 2019
BRIEF STORY FROM THE GREEN PLANET
Three outsiders, have been friends since childhood; they were bullied by other kids, but that experience helped them to form a strong and lasting bond. Daniela, it transpires, is nursing a broken heart, Pedro seems at peace on the dance floor of his local queer club, but distinctly uneasy in heteronormative environments and their trans disco sensation Tania who suffers the constant indignity of being objectified and harassed by men she happens to cross paths with. They are an undefeated trio that continues to brave life’s challenges several years later. When Tania’s grandmother dies, the gang heads to their hometown to pay their respects, face the narrow-minded locals and uncover the secret of the late old lady. It’s a creature from another world, quite literally. And so the “human aliens” add the actual alien to their group and continue their journey together. The idea works really well, no matter how strange the ET part may sound, and there is no hint of cheap, DIY science-fiction.
However, in stoically committing to their unlikely mission, the trio tap into a shared reserve of inner strength, and begin to turn the tables on their oppressors. It’s as if their connection to the alien has endowed the friends with supernatural powers to combat prejudice.
It becomes clear that the convoluted set-up is essentially all in service of a simple plea for tolerance. Brief Story from the Green Planet is playfully inventive, big-hearted little film but above all else emotional and beautiful.
Winner of this year’s Teddy award at Berlin Film Festival.