'The Pink Cloud' Review: You May Reassess Your Feelings About The Current Pandemic After Viewing Iuli Gerbase's Brazilian Sci-Fi Drama

Arlington TX

22 January, 2022

6:01 PM

Description

By Joe Friar, Fort Worth Report January 22, 2022 If every cloud has a silver lining, then Iuli Gerbase's debut feature may be the shot in the arm we all need to put the current pandemic into perspective. Imagine the country going into lockdown while you're in the middle of a one-night stand. That's exactly what happens to Giovana (Renata de Lélis) who is now stuck with Yago (Eduardo Mendonça) thanks to the toxic mass of condensed water vapor floating outside the apartment. "The Pink Cloud" doesn't offer hope but it has the same effect as watching the old Jerry Springer show, suddenly you realize life could be worse. A title card preceding the opening credits states, "This film was written in 2017 and shot in 2019. Any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental." What are the odds? While there is no escaping a comparison to the current pandemic, the worldwide plight is just the backdrop for Gerbase's psychological drama. The film's focus is on the developing relationship between Giovana and Yugo as days turn into months which turn into years. I would imagine it's like an arranged marriage minus the actual nuptials and screening process as the two strangers must learn to love each other. Gerbase was inspired by Luis Buñuel's 1962 film "The Exterminating Angel" with its theme of isolation and the effect it has on people. The hows and whys of their predicament are inconsequential as are the details surrounding the pink cloud. We know that it can descend from above, it moves like a fog, it can't seep through window or door cracks, and it can kill you in ten seconds. If you remain indoors, you're safe. The vagueness of the toxic menace would be an issue in a typical sci-fi yarn but with the focus on the characters, it's not a stumbling block. In the beginning, it's all about sex. That wears off fast and after months with no end in sight for the lockdown, the two realize they are in it for the long haul. As they begin to exchange their outlooks on life it becomes evident that the two want different things. Yugo wants kids, Giovana never planned to have any. As far as work is concerned, he's a chiropractor without clients (thanks to the cloud) but Giovana is a web designer so working from home becomes the new norm. Sound familiar? She becomes the breadwinner while Yugo explores other options. To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.