Os Primeiros Soldados (Portuguese) [The First Fallen]

The film making style and structure of this film was quite unique. A drama set in a nontraditional narrative structure, take son full steam when tragedy becomes real and expected. Characters aren’t developed or fully fleshed out in the usual fashion and seldom does the film consider a first-person perspective for the audience to emotionally connect with a character. This dramatic story of three friends in a small Brazilian town in 1983 at the time with the first wave of the AIDS epidemic takes hold in their community and they decide to form a chosen family of their own. 

The film starts very interestingly with a 7-10 minute montage equating young boys with soldiers, a representation of the childhood memories of our lead character Suzano. It turns out he is talking out loud and his nephew feels he is being talked to. Cut to reality. It's new years eve 1982 and Suzano is visiting his small town after a long town where his very supportive sister lives with his nephew. We then meet Rosa, a rans woman arguing with bus driver and in the process gets hurt and is helped by Suzano's sister. The brother-sister dynamic along with nephew is heartening but the way Suzano behaves feels odd and this is our first hint that something is amiss with him. He is not well and coughing a lot. Meanwhile Rosa is applying makeup to hide he scars while being filmed by the cameraman Humberto. Humberto is a fairly quiet, self-effacing cameraman who is actually making a film about Rosa but, as we come to learn, also about Suzano and himself. After new years, the film moves 8 months later, Rosa dn Humberto are missing and Suzano calls in his sister to say everything is ok, clearly he is almost dying and promises her that the nephew will live healthy and long. We then find out that these three people, who have suddenly being plagued by this new disease had no idea how to handle themselves and the situation around them. The third part of the film is a story about the three “soldiers” who find their own way to survive, live, and document their experiences on video – in a set of videos that will be uncovered by Muriel, Suzano’s nephew, a few years later. Humberto was documenting in a very personal way the story of AIDS and the beginning of the epidemic in 1983 when it first targeted trans people and gay men in Brazil.

If you see this film from the makers point of view, it is a very strange message and a very emotional film. The bond between a brother and a sister, a nephew coming to terms with his own sexuality looking unto his uncle, doesn't understand what is really going on. I have seen many films where the patients get into hospital and are treated bad, but this is one of the few with the AID topic that delves a little deeper into how some people took matters into their own hands and dealt with it. I have seen a few where people commit suicide and al that. How many ever films you see on the subject, but most of these still hit you pretty hard. And the was no different. Even though the narration style of the film is a bit complex and it clearly may not be for everyone, but it's still an important story to tell. Embellished with very beautiful acting by all the principal actors , especially Suzano. The young performer is exceptional when portraying the downfall of a man whose expectations have to be cut short due to something they can’t comprehend. That progression into the character’s deeply emotional breakdown is perfectly represented by the actor whose work in the film is essential.

There have been plenty of films about AIDS and its impact on the lives of gay men and trans women, but this one from a remote corner of Brazil is as poignant as any. This is a film about love and resilience that sometimes can only be found in chosen queer families. And it is about remembering the courage it takes to face the challenges of a disease that was a death sentence for the millions who would die from AIDS. The film and the subject is very evocative, often harsh but tender in equal measures. It will take time for you to get into the film, but at the end, if you are able to stick with it (because of the artistic and theatrical nature of it), it does leave you satisfied and content. (7/10)