Some patience is required for “Kites” to start making sense, but then again not a lot does at first in Santo Amaro, a favela in Rio de Janeiro, where Walter Thompson-Hernández elusive and beguiling drama is set when its opening minutes center on five people being laid to rest as a result of the overaggressive police presence that has been endemic to the impoverished community for quite some time. The bodies may be lowered into the ground, but the first-time director points his camera towards the heavens above – or at least, an obviously painted sky — where angels sit, though rather than suggest they’ve made it to the pearly gates unburdened by all they’ve experienced on earth, there’s hints of frustration and defeat. When Phil (Phillipe Augusto da Silva Souza), one of those now suddenly donning wings, states his name and age (just 29) for the record, presumably to gain entry, it’s with sad resignation rather than any sense of relief.
This may sound like the start of a dour affair, but while the spirits may appear trapped in “Kites,” the premise opens the door for Thompson-Hernández, who previously picked up a Jury Prize at Sundance for working the same magic with his 2022 short “If I Go Will They Miss Me,” for something more airy and invigorating with his debut feature to consider the plight of those stuck in a seemingly hopeless situation on earth. Although the film’s title references where the angels reside, it comes to have multiple meanings as a handful of characters are introduced back on land, all casually identified and only vaguely connected within the same neighborhood they share. The most prominent among them is Duvo (Daniel Fernando do Prado Dorea Lima), who is only gradually revealed to be a drug kingpin, not looking particularly dangerous or authoritative when first seen completely naked getting out of bed in the morning, but nonetheless has survived until the age of 25 with a ruthless streak that shows itself when someone who disappointed him receives no mercy at the end of a barrage of firearms. He is shown in parallel with a former associate Pedroza (João Vittor Pedroza), who now preaches the gospel on the streets after devoting his life to Christianity, inferred to have a come to Jesus moment after facing a near-death experience during this time as a criminal.
Though the adults, such as they are, take center stage, Thompson-Hernández would seem to be most concerned with the children that can be seen running through Santa Amaro from the nearby beach to the streets carefree – and by extension, the film itself – the future that’s reflected in Duvo and Pedroza’s fates looms large, and like the kites they fly for fun, the kids themselves look largely susceptible to which way the wind blows. The metaphor is taken a step closer to reality when Duvo stages a kite-flying event that can be interpreted as a test of himself as well when it could be read as either an act of benevolence as the rare person in Santo Amaro with extra cash in his pocket and there remains a hint of innocence about him as he’s invested himself in the drug trade or it could be that he’s luring children for the far more nefarious purpose of making them part of his operation. A narrative takes time to coalesce, but Thompson-Hernández and cinematographer Michael Fernandez have an eye for striking compositions that can grip viewers from nearly the first frame on, acclimating audiences to the area before you can judge anyone for their actions.
This inability to draw easy conclusions turns from initial frustration to become one of the film’s most endearing qualities, particularly when Duvo is shown to be more and more ambivalent about what he’s ultimately living for after spending so much time and energy on his survival. He consults with Phil, who becomes a guardian angel at times, and while Santa Amaro has clearly not been entirely forsaken when there’s constant observation from above, the occasional cutback to the would-be guardians, all relatively young and indifferent, stress the need for answers to be found on the ground. Thompson-Hernández doesn’t overdo the fantastical conceit, nor does he ever linger on the harsher elements of the favela life, unusually never making an event out of either the violence or poverty that make every day so hard but tucking in instances of each that put people on constant alert. The most remarkable quality of the film is its capacity to find both the pleasure and pain in getting lost in a place where the natural beauty can be overwhelming and the community can show so much love for one another but a future can be hard to see and tragedy has been absorbed as a normal part of being there. Either way, it has a hold on you and “Kites” has a way of not letting go.
“Kites” will screen again at the Tribeca Festival at the AMC 19th St. East 6 on June 13th at 5 pm.