Animation First ’26: Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness typically formats into about 100 pages, but Francis Ford Coppola adapted it into the epic Apocalypse Now, which runs anywhere from two and a half to three hours, depending on which of the half dozen cuts you watch. Brazilian filmmaker Rogerio Nunes’ new 77-minute animated adaptation is much more concentrated and manageable. Transferring Conrad’s Congo setting to Rio (instead of Vietnam), Nunes finds ways that Conrad’s themes resonate with contemporary Brazil in Heart of Darkness, which screens as part of this year’s Animation First.

Conrad was Polish-British, born in Ukraine, and Nunes is Brazilian, but somehow Heart of Darkness qualified as a Brazilian-French co-production, so here it is. Although never specifically identified, Marlon (formerly Marlow) is clearly a member of a paramilitary police organization, in the tradition of BOPE, a.k.a. the Elite Squad. So was Captain Kurtz (demoted from Colonel), formerly a decorated officer, who is now suspected of defecting to a drug cartel operating in the Guanabara Bay.

Ironically, but not surprisingly, Marlon must rely on locally-posted Sgt. Medeiros, who brazenly cooperates with various drug gangs. Awkwardly, Medeiros lets Marlon know he is well aware of the existentialist cop’s reputation as a holier-than-thou critic of police corruption, which has badly damaged his career. In fact, the top brass stated in no uncertain terms this mission could be his last chance for redemption. Yet, Marlon naggingly suspects they would prefer Kurtz dead—and wouldn’t mind if he became collateral damage.

Without question, Nunes captures the spirit of Conrad’s novella—arguably even better than Coppola classic, which steamrolled into entirely its own beast. Indeed, evenhanded commentators should admit the corrupt symbiosis of the paramilitaries and the cartels better parallels Conrad’s critique of colonialism than the Vietnam War.

The animation also vividly captures the atmosphere of tropical darkness. Yet, Nunes still gives his Heart of Darkness a distinctly Brazilian flavor, incorporating a setting inspired by the Jardim Gramacho landfill, as well as references to evil Umbandista (voodoo) orixas (or deities). This is definitely animation for adults, but the violence is never exploitative for its own sake.

First Look ’12: Almayer’s Folly

Festival season now starts a little earlier. An adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s first novel will be the opening night film of the inaugural edition of the first film fest of the year sure to make critics and scholars sit up and take note. Of course, it is hardly Chantal Akerman’s first film, but it is something of a departure for the Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1800 Bruxelles auteur. Fittingly, Akerman’s foray into tropical malaise, Almayer’s Folly, kicks off the first annual First Look series at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria.

There is something elusive about Conrad that doggedly resists the transfer to the big screen. Yet, his work has been a siren call to filmmakers, resulting in flawed masterworks like Apocalypse Now and Lord Jim. Such is the case with Akerman’s Folly, except less so.

As per Conrad, Kaspar Almayer is an unhappy man. He married the mixed race daughter of his adventurer mentor, Captain Lingard, in hopes of a prospective inheritance. Instead, Lingard has frittered away his fortune and sanity in search of a rumored treasure. Trapped in a loveless and impoverished marriage, Almayer’s only solace is his daughter Nina, but her resentment of westerners’ arrogant and abusive ways very definitely extends to her father.

Frankly, learning of a new Conrad film adaptation is sort of like hearing an out of shape friend has entered a marathon. You admire their ambition and hope they pull it off, but remain skeptical. If nothing else, Akerman completely nails the atmosphere of exotic alienation. Watching Folly will make viewers feel like a corpulent western expatriate sweating profusely in a cream-colored suit. However, a little of that humid torpor goes a long way.

Clearly, Folly was conceived as a mood piece, but the narrative slack is awfully conspicuous. At times, the cast seem more like props for Akerman to pose than actors interpreting characters. Still, Aurora Marion palpably radiates bitterness and contempt as Nina and Stanislas Merhar has some quietly forceful moments as Almayer.

Set in Malaysia but filmed in Cambodia, Folly is indeed something of a mixed bag. Yet, it is undeniably intriguing to watch a filmmaker of Akerman’s stature take on the enigmatic Conrad. While it can certainly drag in-the-moment, it is a fascinating film to look back on as a whole. Of note to serious cineastes, Folly is an impressively high profile launch for the first ever First Look. It screens once and only once (second looks are up to somebody else) this Friday (1/6), with Akerman in attendance at the Museum of the Moving Image’s historic Paramount Studio home.