Upon returning from an expedition, Antonio discovers that his wife has died. Confined to a desolate property in the company of his aging mother-in-law and numerous slaves, he marries his wife’s niece, Beatriz. Separated from her family, Beatriz finds solace in the oppressed inhabitants around her.

A sense of impending peril is palpable throughout this spellbinding epic from Daniela Thomas. Mesmerizingly photographed in luminous black and white, Vazante never understates the cruelties of Brazil’s colonial past. What begins with artful restraint, soon explodes en route to a devastating climax.