Max Sparkman
Ortega, A. K. & de Carvalho, E. (Directors). (2023). Canuto’s Transformation. EPF Media. 130 min. Canuto’s Transformation is a unique film that is equal parts documentary about a Mbyá-Guarani community discussing and reenacting the local legend of Canuto, a man said to have transformed into a jaguar, and documentary about the production of the reenactment. The film claims to explore the power of cinema, collective memory, and indigenous storytelling, and does so through interviews with members of the community - both people who lived in the village when Canuto was transforming and people and those who have only heard the story - as well as through exploration of important cultural concepts and ways of life. This own voices indigenous film provides a good look into the culture, history, folklore, and daily life of this Mbyá-Guarani community through storytelling, candid footage, and interviews. The meta nature of the film is what really makes it unique - while the film seems to start off as a standard social sciences-oriented documentary, it quickly becomes more of a look behind the scenes as the directors film a reenactment of Canuto’s transformation, lending to use cases that fall more in the realm of film studies. It can be a little difficult to tell what is an interview with the community and what is part of the reenactment, and therefore can be a little difficult to find general use cases in a classroom setting for the entire 2-hour film. That said, there are plenty of smaller sections of the film that would fit nicely in an anthropology class. While this is a very interesting film that provides a great look at a culture that is not frequently represented in film, the meta nature and hyper specificity of the subject matter leads me to give this film a rating of recommended with reservations. This film certainly has a place in any collection about film studies or film making, especially with an indigenous focus, but would also potentially fit in any anthropology or social science-focused collections with a bit more review. Awards include: Best Film, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Netherlands Outstanding Artistic Contribution, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Netherlands Best Film, Jean Rouch International Film Festival, France Best Film, West Lake International Documentary Festival, China Best Film, Cali International Film Festival, Colombia Best Film, Festival de Cine de General Pico, Argentina Audience Award, Festival de Cine de General Pico, Argentina Best Film, PerSo, Perugia Social Film Festival, Italy Special Mention, Tempo Documentary Festival, Italy Best Direction, Brasilia Film Festival, Brazil Best Photography, Brasilia Film Festival, Brazil Best Script, Brasilia Film Festival, Brazil Best Film, Latin American Film Festival, France