In Fernanda Salgado’s “Ana, en Passant,” a young woman travels from Paris to Belo Horizonte in search of family memories and a clearer sense of her own identity. The Brazilian film, co-produced with Portugal and France, arrives in cinemas on Thursday and uses animation and jazz to explore grief, ancestry and belonging.
The story follows Ana, a young Black French-Brazilian woman raised by her grandmother after her mother’s death. After another loss in the family, she discovers a box of keepsakes and sets off for Belo Horizonte during Carnival. The film’s title refers to the idea of being “in passing,” as Ana tries to understand where she comes from while feeling disconnected from herself.
Salgado combines animation with photographs, scraps of paper and receipts to create a scrapbook-like collection of memories belonging to Ana, her mother and her grandmother. The film took nearly a decade to make and incorporates the director’s own personal archives, including photographs and a child’s voice heard at the beginning. It is dedicated to Salgado’s nine-year-old daughter, Olívia.
In Belo Horizonte, Ana visits her grandmother’s former apartment and meets Alice, its current resident, played by Jéssica Pierina, who also portrays Ana. The two women have different personalities and circumstances, but find themselves drawn together. Ana is mourning her grandmother, who was also named Alice, while the other Alice is facing a difficult pregnancy that requires isolation. Pierina describes their connection as rooted in shared experiences of grief and transformation.
As Ana retraces her grandmother’s footsteps through recreated Belo Horizonte locations, including Raul Soares Square, the Santa Tereza Viaduct and Sapucaí Street, memories help her piece together her family history. Zezé Motta plays the grandmother, whose presence guides Ana through recollections and lessons about holding on to one’s identity and origins.
Carlos Francisco plays André, a postman who helps Ana access parts of her grandmother’s past that she had never known. He calls the character a “provoker of memory,” serving as a link to stories Ana could not uncover alone. The film’s initially abstract recollections become more tangible through discoveries such as the great-grandmother’s garden, photographs from her mother’s childhood and unread letters.
Salgado says she wanted the film to create space for herself and other women. Rather than limiting Black stories to narratives of denunciation, she aims to bring poetry and subtlety to everyday lives. Motta likewise describes the film as a celebration of the imagination, arguing that Black stories encompass not only pain but also love, dreams and fantasy.
Sources: Folha Ilustrada.