Director's statement:
“Body of Water” (Corpo D’água, in Brazilian Portuguese) is a short folk horror/drama film about the dark side of motherhood, and how grief can shape our state of mind when making difficult choices. I believe modern society should rethink the sacrifices mother have to go through, and how much guilt is placed on them when we discuss responsibilities. Nadi is a tired, grief struck woman who finds, in a mysterious and ghostly creature, the answer to her prayers - she just wants her son back. Elsa, her mother, doesn’t want to be alone in their farm and needs her daughter to work. Both women have different priorities, and a folk tale strikes through their life at a difficult time. The short film has visual references such as “The Witch” (2015) and Fishwife (2022). It is also an adapted proof of concept for a feature called “The Pains of Labor”, set in the same region (South Brazil), but in a different time. This latter project was part of TorinoFilmLab NEXT 2023, shortlisted for La Fabrique Cinema (2024) and a finalist at Sundance Collab’s Cultural Impact Residency 2025.
