Desmundo is a sensitive story of the plight of a young, orphaned woman who is destroyed by a heartless patriarchal society. Sent to Brazil by royal decree to marry a European colonist, upon her arrival Brazil Oribela reluctantly agrees to marry Francisco de Albuquerque. After her failed escape attempt she is alone and devastated, destined to spend the rest of her life on the plantation.
In the context of Brazilian cinema, this one of the many films covering historical themes produced in recent years. Centered on the themes of colonization and migration, this film works as a metaphor for Brazil’s social reality. While the film primarily focuses on the victimization of women in a society that overvalued masculine subjectivity, included in the mis-en-scene are the brutal conditions of indigenous settlers. Desmundo’s vivid portrayal of caught in a system of masculine bias, a system that maintained the colonial experience, but whose legacy influences Brazilian culture today. What makes this film stand out from other historical narratives is the fact that it tells of a European woman’s experience in the New World, a side of the story often forgotten in retellings of colonialism. Additionally, the film’s authenticity draws from the actors speaking in archaic Portuguese.
The film treats the question of feminine agency and oppressed desire in a conservative manner. When Oribela tries to escape and then is captured once again, she understands that she is destined to be miserable and will not escape the ‘prison’ imposed on her by a white patriarchal society. It is this lack of optimism that makes the film a vehicle for critical commentary on female oppression experienced under a patriarchal society and supported by the Catholic Church in the 16th century.