Tokkotai Paquetá

On the tranquil island of Paquetá, in Guanabara Bay, northwest of the city of Rio de Janeiro, someone is relaxing on the shore beside the rocks. Intimate telephone conversations contrast against news reports about the war in Ukraine, which is taking place simultaneously on a different plane.

Between the lines, director Cao Guimarães weaves the story of a Japanese kamikaze pilot during the Second World War. His camera often turns to the nature of Paquetá: wind blowing through a treetop, a flock of birds skimming over the water, a colony of great egrets crossing a street.

As in his previous work, Guimarães finds a casual poetry in the details in this short documentary. Yet there is also a bitter note to Tokkotai Paquetá: however peaceful the island may be, every now and then the war, like a seal, raises its head above the surface.