brazil

It’s something of a cliché to say that Brazil, like its inspiration Nineteen Eighty-Four, has lost none of its power or resonance in the thirty-five years since its release. But watching it now, in the twelve-month bonfire that is 2020, I…

Politically motivated stabbings, vigilante justice, car wash money laundering. These are not plot points for an upcoming Netflix drama, these are actual things that are happening in Brazil today. To help them better understand this…

Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Aquarius is a poignant reflection on ageing, a focused character study on the protagonist Clara (Sônia Braga), who tries to live her life in spite of multiple intrusions to its status quo. Although the socio-economic…

Falling in love was easy. If it were a test I would have got an A+. I had watched the movies, listened to the right music, had practiced looking strong and manly in the mirror; biting slightly at my cheeks to make myself look fierce. I was…

Previously in Letter From Hong Kong, thanks to a series of careless lies and multiple bottles of Buckfast, Joe Kennedy has found himself in the back of a truck in the Brazilian rainforest heading towards an ancient temple with his contact…

I’m sitting here in my most relaxed yoga pose (upwards facing badger), typing this letter to you from my room in a luxury five star Hong Kong hotel for which I hope you will reimburse me. Bottles of champagne and jars of caviar litter the…