O Auto da Compadecida

1999 | 174 min

Directed by: Guel Arraes Script: Guel Arraes, Adriana Falcão e João Falcão Cast: Matheus Nachtergaele, Selton Mello, Rogério Cardoso, Denise Fraga, Diogo Vilela, Paulo Goulart, Virginia Cavendish, Bruno Garcia, Enrique Diaz, Luís Melo, Maurício Gonçalves, Aramis Trindade, Marco Nanini, Lima Duarte and Fernanda Montenegro.

Set in Taperoá, a city that is frequently referred to in the works of Ariano Suassuna, the mini-series O Auto da Compadecida, directed by Guel Arraes, was exhibited on Rede Globo from January 5-8, 1999. Later made into a film, O Auto da Compadecida accompanies mischievous João Grilo (Matheus Nachtergaele) and his friend and companion Chicó (Selton Mello) on their adventures in the fight to survive in the Sertão of the northeast. Based on Suassuna’s play Auto da Compadecida, the film was adapted from the mini-series and continues to be one of the most watched and loved by the Brazilian public, suggesting an immersion in the purest northeastern fantasy via religiosity and regionalism.