S A U D A D E S
Saudades is a multimedia project about grief and family relationships. In late August 2020, Edvaldo Cunha, my grandfather, died from complications of Covid-19. It was the first peak of the pandemic in Brazil. I lived in Rio de Janeiro and had been in social isolation for five months. My feeling of loneliness grew in proportion after his death. Suddenly I found myself lost and lonely. That's when I decided to go back to my hometown, Mossoro, northeast of Brazil, and grieve with those who were grieving too. We are looking at my family's memories, understanding how they are part of who we are, and how they can guide us on a path of transformation, of healing.
This project was awardee of the grant Poti Cultural SESC- RN 2021.
Check the trailer here.
"My granddaughter" - those were the first words that Socorro spoke to me when we met in September 2020. It was night, the TV with the volume on high reminded me of him, the room was dark, but I still managed to see his chair. His absence took up every room, he was everywhere.
We are constantly reminded of the emptiness and it always feels different. The other day Gramma told me that she saw mourning as a journey of self-knowledge, of rediscovering herself, of rebirth.
On the day my grandfather died, it was cold and rainy in Rio de Janeiro. He had been in the ICU for twenty-one days. We knew his chances of surviving were decreasing, but we were still waiting for a miracle. In the late afternoon, a rainbow formed right in front of my window and I thought of my grandfather. Minutes later I received the news of his death. Despite the pain I felt that day, my memory is as delicate as the rainbow in my window.
Just like the bluebird that my cousin and I once released - my grandfather had found his freedom.
