Draft:Alice in Backlands (Alice Dos Anjos) (2021 film)

Alice dos Anjos (English title: Alice in Backlands) is a 2021 Brazilian family musical film adaptation of Lewis Carroll's novels Alice's adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. The film locates the events of the novels to the backlands of north-eastern Brazil, and features a subplot based on the bonds between indigenous communities, and the threat of colonialisation. It is directed by Daniel Leite Almeida and features music and songs by João Omar. The film is produced by Ato3 Produções and is distributed for TV by Arte1 Brazil. This adaptation marks the end of a 20 year gap in major Carroll adaptations in film (as the last book adaptation was produced in 1999) Leite's film is also liberally inspired by Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire. It was filmed in the region of Vitória da Conquista.

Premise
The film relocates Carroll's novels to north eastern Brazil. Whereas Carroll's books parody, Leite's film mixes the folklore of Brazil and cultural traditions in with Carroll's novels.

Alice (Tiffanie Costa) travels by car to her ill grandmother's house, reading the story of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Once there with family. her grandma gives her a special "Alice styled" blue dress. Alice's sister and mother are worried for grandmother's health. In the garden Alice's sister quickly leaves as it looks like it will rain. Grandmother tells Alice the parable of the fox's wedding, saying when it is both sunny and rainy it is a special day.

Alice drifts into fantasy, becoming the Alice of carroll's book, and runs after an unusual black goat (Fernando Alves Pinto). She falls down a dusty hole and lands in a rock face with many doors leading into each other. At the last door Alice enters a new world. In this place she meets wise Pajé (Pajé Aripuanã), a bizarre lizard that vanishes, and stops at an unsual dinner party hosted by Sanfoneiro Maluco (Neto Cajado). She eventually learns the place is under threat from a colonel (Ricardo Fraga) and his advisor (Teófilo Gobira). The advisor's wife Virgília (Thiana Barbosa) is worryingly obsessed with beheading everyone.

Cast

 * Tiffanie Costa as Alice
 * Adão Albuquerque as Padre Cícero
 * Fernando Alves Pinto as Bode Preto (Black Goat/white rabbit)
 * Sorak Barbosa as Lobo (Duck)
 * Pajé Aripuanã as Pajé Tupinambá (Caterpillar)
 * Thiana Barbosa as Virgília (the Queen of Hearts)
 * Neto Cajado as Sanfoneiro Maluco (the Hatter)
 * João Pedro Costa as Menino com água na peneira
 * Josy da Costa as Galinha Beata
 * Vicka Matos as Rainha Bonita (The Red Queen)
 * Ricardo Fraga as Coronel Brás
 * Mônica Gedione as Filomena
 * Teófilo Gobira as Assessor do coronel (King of Hearts)
 * Jomir Gomes as Líder dos Severinos
 * Rogerio Leandro as Carcará
 * Raisa Lima as Raposa (Lory)
 * Cris Magalhães as Vó Indira
 * Dayse Maria as Cecília dos Anjos

Early reviews
The film premiered at the 54th edition of the Festival de Brasília do Cinema Brasileiro, where it won 6 awards: Best Film by the Popular Jury and Abraccine Award, Best Direction, Makeup for Claudia Riston, Costume Design for Lívia Liu and Art Direction for Luciana Buarque.

Critical reaction to the film in Brazil was mixed to positive, with reviewers praising the didactic elements of Leite's film and also its adaptation of Carroll's novels to the northestern Brazil region.

Critiquing for The Guarnicê Film Festival in 2022, Fabiana Lima offered a more critical review, praising the film's appeal to children and its highlighting of resistance against political forces, but noting the film in her opinion works less well for adults:

"Although it fulfills its main intention, of presenting in a didactic way part of the reality experienced in the northeastern hinterland based on an adaptation of the classic story of Alice in Wonderland, the techniques used reveal a certain amateurism"