Pronounced - WE-RA-NEE
The Guaraní are the indigenous people whose traditional lands span the river systems that form the borders of modern-day Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. Atilio (played masterfully by veteran actor Emilio Barreto) is a proud Guaraní man who lives on the riverway and insists on living along traditional lines despite the ever-encroaching modern world. Defiantly sexist, he has only daughters and granddaughters and dreams of having a grandson to carry on his name and culture. His granddaughter, Iara is a modern, headstrong teenager who finds life on the river stultifying and is Atilio’s unwilling apprentice on their trips moving contraband goods along the Guarana River.
When he discovers that Lara’s mother, Helena, who lives in neighbouring Argentina, is pregnant and expecting a son, he decides to take them on a long journey to convince Helena to give birth in the Guaraní land and raise the boy himself. This unexpected road trip gently unwinds as a quiet and deeply moving story of the real meaning of traditions and family bonds.
