In the Heart of the World
(No Coração do Mundo)

A loving dedication at a birthday party, a kiss interrupted by a gunshot. Rejoicing and tragedy, the sense of belonging and vague hopes of departure are some of the conflicting feelings that Maurílio and Gabriel Martins distil in their debut feature. A highly sensitive description of Contagem, a city near Belo Horizonte where their own production company is located. Contagem… this motherfucking Texas in the words of the opening rap song announcing that this « heart of the world», more than being a daily chronicle (which the film also is), shows us a territory where hope plays out outside the law. A place where the most ordinary characters – like Ana, a public transport wor- ker and student by night, and Marcos, her boyfriend in a precarious situation – can become the protagonists of a thriller or action film. After André Novais Oliveira’s Temporada (in competition at the 2018 Festival des 3 Continents), In the Heart of the World reaffirms Minas Gerais as the epicentre of the best Brazilian cinema today. AR