The First Fallen

The First Fallen (in Os Primeiros Soldados, lit. "The First Soldiers") is a 2022 Brazilian drama film written and directed by Rodrigo de Oliveira. Starring Johnny Massaro, Renata Carvalho, and Victor Camilo, the film portrays members of the LGBTQ community fighting the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s. It also features the performances of Clara Choveaux, Alex Bonin, Higor Campagnaro, and Daniel Monjardim.

Plot
Set in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil, in the early 1980s, the film is a tribute to the individuals who faced AIDS, and the stigma that accompanied it, in the early days of the disease. The plot follows the journey of Suzano, a biology student who has just returned from studying abroad. Aware that something unknown is affecting his body, he seeks to understand the disease and find a cure, while at the same time protecting his sister Maura and his nephew Muriel from the impact of what is to come. The lack of information about the virus, and the uncertain prognosis for those affected, leads Suzano to approach transgender performer Rose and film student Humberto, both living with the virus.

Cast

 * Johnny Massaro as Suzano Morais
 * Renata Carvalho as Rose
 * Victor Camilo as Humberto
 * Clara Choveaux as Maura Morais
 * Alex Bonin as Muriel Morais
 * Higor Campagnaro as Joca
 * Daniel Monjardim as Ramon
 * Vinícius Duarte as Juan
 * Jackson Leão as Luiz
 * Matheus Muniz as Vicente
 * Carlos Rosado as Dr. Caesar
 * Verônica Gomes as Nurse Norma
 * Remi Stengel as Adrian (voice)

Production


The First Fallen was produced by Pique-Bandeira Filmes, and its original screenplay was developed from research into real cases that occurred in Vitória, Espírito Santo. When researching the film, Rodrigo Oliveira noticed that deaths in Espírito Santo only began to be counted in 1985, despite "newspaper headlines, groups of friends, and the silence of nightclubs" indicating that the first deaths from HIV/AIDS were prior to this date. The premise of The First Fallen is to imagine what the impact of HIV/AIDS on the first infected people would be. The characters Rose, Suzano, and Humberto, become united by the physical and emotional adversity of the then-mysterious disease.

As well as the prejudice they suffered, the film also aims to show some of the venues that may have been frequented by LGBTQ people at the time. Although the film treats of death and other distressing issues at various points in the plot, director Rodrigo Oliveira believes that the film is not about an end, but about new beginnings and ways to survive and live with the virus, saying: "At that time [in which the film is set], death was very likely, but that does not erase the taste, the pleasure, the pain, and the delight of having lived, even without knowing what was happening to oneself".

Development
The director highlighted the work of an all-queer cast that worked within the LGBTQ community, following the spirit of the film. He stated that he would always have queer actors playing queer roles for this purpose. The actors Johnny Massaro, Clara Choveaux, and Alex Bonini all lived together as a family in an apartment in Rio de Janeiro. Rodrigo Oliveira explained in an interview that the intention was to create authentic relationships and a sense of belonging among the actors, so that everything seemed as natural as possible when filming began. Massaro, Vitor Camilo, and Renata Carvalho also lived together on a farm in Domingos Martins to prepare for their roles in the film.

Due to budget constraints, the production faced a major challenge in trying to recreate the city of Vitória of the early 1980s. The director decided to identify which locations in present-day Vitória still maintained the appearance of 1983. The fictional gay club Genet, which in the film is located on Maria Ortiz's Staircase in the Historic Center, was recreated within the premises of Hotel Cidade Alta. According to the director, funding for The First Fallen was made possible by the State Department of Culture (Secult), in collaboration with the Fundo Setorial do Audiovisual (FSA).

Release and reception
The First Fallen premiered internationally at the 70th Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival (IFFMH), in Germany, on November 12, 2021. It was voted Best Film by the Young Jury and received the Audience Award for Best Film. The film had its Asian premiere at the 52nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), in Goa, where actress Renata Carvalho, who plays Rose, received the Special Jury Prize. The film had its Brazilian premiere at the Rio Film Festival, between December 9 and December 19, with in-person sessions. Beginning on July 7, 2022, the film was shown commercially in cinemas throughout Brazil by Olhar Filmes. In Espírito Santo, the film was shown at the Cine Metrópolis, located on the campus of the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES) in Vitória.

Critical response
The film has received positive reviews since its release. Renata Carvalho's performance in particular received critical acclaim. At its screening at the 52nd International Film Festival of India, the official jury awarded Carvalho a special trophy, saying that her "contribution to the film goes beyond the performance. She brought authenticity to the complexities of the situation and the era portrayed in society".

Michel Guwilen's review at Plano Critico says that The First Fallen functions as a retroactive exercise, which affects the viewer's feelings after having seen the film. He says the film shows an extreme transformation movement from the middle of the film, demanding that the viewer rethink everything that was seen previously. Guwilen also highlights, as one of its main characteristics, the film's lacunar aspect, where missing elements are filled in later.

Lucas Lopes Aflitos, a critic from Cine Set, praised the cast, saying that his highlights included Johnny Massaro, who delivered an excellent interpretation of his melancholic, catatonic, and withdrawn character. He adds that the film is important, bringing to light the issue of HIV/AIDS and its stigmatization, noting that even today, the disease is seen as a "gay disease" by some, when in fact those considered heterosexual are the ones most infected.

Bruno Ghetti, a critic for the Folha de S.Paulo, stated in his review that the film starts without much unity, with characters appearing and disappearing seemingly without control by the director. In particular, he criticized a scene where Suzano reappears distributing photos of his own sick body at a party, which seemed too sensationalist for the character. However, Ghetti also praised the second half of the film, which he considered extraordinarily solid. He was especially moved by the scenes on the farm, where the protagonists film themselves on VHS to immortalize their story, and he considered the film moving as a whole.