根深蒂固 In My Skin

A poetic investigation into the deep-rooted racism in Brazil

Brazil was the last Western nation to abolish slavery, in 1888. Social segregation based on skin color continues to this day, partly as a result of the massive influx of Europeans who had access to jobs, land, and loans, while the Black population was left to fend for themselves.

Filmmaker Toni Venturi, a Brazilian with Italian roots, interviews a large number of his compatriots about their experiences with racism: a doctor who was mistaken for a thief, and a domestic worker who was treated like a slave by her employer. The tragic account of a woman from São Paulo whose son was killed by police officers on the street because he didn’t have his identity card.

Venturi’s poetic sequencing of finely lit interviews, philosophical reflections, archive footage, and musical intermezzos yields a multifaceted picture of deeply rooted everyday racism —including considerations of the director’s own position.