Film

TRAILER: This Brazilian Film Highlights the Colossal Love Between Family As Huge Changes Take Place

Lead Photo: Karine Teles and Otavio Muller appear in Loveling by Gustavo Pizzi, an official selection of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. Photo by Bianca Aun.
Karine Teles and Otavio Muller appear in Loveling by Gustavo Pizzi, an official selection of the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. Photo by Bianca Aun.

Irene is a nurturing kind of soul. She takes care of her family, including her sister who’s just left a volatile marriage, a husband who’s dealing with financial woes, and four rambunctious kids. But with her eldest soon leaving Rio de Janeiro to play handball in Germany, the loving sister, wife, and mother sees a sudden change coming – one she’s now eager to tackle head on. LovelingGustavo Pizzi’s tender look at family ties and motherly love, is the kind of warmhearted intimate tale we seldom see on screen anymore.

Co-written by the film’s star, Karine Teles, and its director, Loveling is, like Teles’ other starring film The Second Mother and Sebastian Lelio’s Gloria: a look at contemporary womanhood in Latin America. In between lush scenes at the beach (including a lovely image of mother and son that closes out its recently released trailer) and quiet domestic moments at home, this family drama looks both melancholy and hopeful in equal measure.

As the director explained in a statement, “It’s a film about the colossal and almost inexplicable family love. A film that talks about the difficulties of family life, about the caring of parents toward their children, and about the great expectations of happiness fulfilled every day.” With its upcoming Sundance premiere, Loveling just recently got a full trailer where you can see what Teles and her fellow co-stars, Adriana Esteves and Otavio Muller are up to in this Brazilian gem. Check it out in full below.

Loveling plays at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the World Drama program