A highlight of last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s follow-up to his acclaimed Neighboring Sounds revolves around the leisurely days of a 65-year-old widow, transcendently played by the great Brazilian actress Sônia Braga.

Clara, a vibrant former music critic, is a force to be reckoned with when she defies corrupt real estate developers who are trying to harass her into selling her apartment so they can raze the building and put up a luxury condo tower.

Aquarius is a harsh study of classism, nepotism, and the lack of corporate accountability, but it is also about the meaningfulness of places and things: the history and memories contained in an apartment, a piece of furniture, or an LP purchased years ago in a used record store.

Mendonça Filho has crafted a suspenseful drama about our relationship to the physical world all set to a soundtrack that ranges from Queen to Brazilian vocalist Roberto Carlos.

"densely observed, scrupulously realised, and with a wonderful lead performance" ★★★★ Guardian

F-Rated