O Samba

Samba, together with football and beautiful woman, is what springs to mind when we think of Brazil. We wish to transcend such cliches and take Samba at its word, for what it is. And that is the great discovery of this film: that Samba cannot be reduced simply to dance and lascivious hip movements. Samba is also word, language, text, lyrics or simply said a way of life and also a cry against discrimination of black people. The composer and singer Martinho da Vila is our charismatic Cicero, guiding us through the world of Samba, telling stories about his 45-year career, meet his Samba school in Rio de Janeiro, the Vila Isabel.