In director Vicente Amorim’s wild and weird allegorical thriller, a gang of young dirt-bikers on a ride across an isolated region of Brazil find themselves being hunted by a machete-wielding band of motorcyclists intent on killing them all.

126

Contemporary World Cinema

Motorrad

Vicente Amorim

Original and daring, Motorrad, Vicente Amorim's seventh feature, tells a unique and bold story with a thriller twist. Hugo (Guilherme Prates) is determined to fit in with his older brother's dirt-bike gang. Sneaking into a junkyard to find a much-needed motorcycle part, Hugo is apprehended by a mysterious and beautiful woman. He catches up with his brother's posse on a joyride in an isolated region of Brazil but their adventure is cut short by an ancient wall blocking their path.

Rather than let the wall stop them, they open a passage and ride on through, running into the woman from the junkyard. The group readily agrees to follow her on a remote trail. But things take an ominous turn when they inexplicably cannot find the trail back, and discover they are being hunted by a machete-wielding bike gang intent on killing them all.

If this sounds wild and weird, it's supposed to be: it's a metaphor for the ghosts within us all that we must learn to tame. Creating an atmosphere of suspense throughout, Amorim's Motorrad is a terrifying and fun commentary on both coming of age and group psychology.

DIANA SANCHEZ

Screenings

Sat Sep 09

Scotiabank 8

P & I
Mon Sep 11

Scotiabank 3

Regular
Wed Sep 13

Scotiabank 14

P & I
Wed Sep 13

Scotiabank 4

Regular
Sat Sep 16

Scotiabank 7

Regular