The Blue Trail (M) – 87 minutes

A dystopian fantasy set in the Amazon, it concerns the fate of a resilient 77-year-old woman.

Her name is Tereza (Denise Weinberg) and she has lived her whole life in a small, industrialised town, working on the production line at a local factory.

She raised her daughter, Joana (Clarissa Pinheiro) on her own and now, in turn, Joana is also a mother and working hard, with little time for Tereza.

The Brazilian government is at pains to point out that it wants to recognise the contributions of older members of society.

To that end, and to her surprise, Tereza is given a medal.

In truth, though, that hardly camouflages the real intention of the establishment to focus on the younger generation and ringbark the oldies. 

The initial edict from the government was that all 80-year-olds must move to a place called The Colony, where the promise is that they will be looked after.

But it pares back the age to 75 and, with that, Tereza loses her job and, against her wishes, is told she must comply with the directive to resettle.

To that end, the police, other authorities and businesses are checking personal documentation to ensure that the new, reduced age mandate is complied with.

Tereza decides to run away or, more to the point, fly away.

But when that doesn’t work out as she intended, she pays for an illegal charter boat to take her up the Amazon.

A series of encounters with decidedly shady characters follows.

Tereza displays remarkable fortitude and determination to outwit anybody who stands in her way.

With The Blue Trail, co-writer and director Gabriel Mascaro has crafted a delicious rebuke of authoritarian rule. 

In tackling a late in life “coming of age” drama, he also wanted to signal that it is never too late to find new meaning in life.

The title refers to the slime of a rare snail that is said to open one’s eyes to the future, as depicted twice in the film.

The movie counterpoints the natural beauty of the Amazon (there is some stunning cinematography from Guillermo Garza) with the wickedness of a corrupt government.

Also in the picture is the abuse of the environment.

Colourful personalities are all the rage in The Blue Trail.

Denise Weinberg is unforgettable as a pragmatic, capable and defiant older person with a lot of life left to live.

Rodrigo Santoro makes an earthy riverboat navigator, while Adanilo Reis da Costa is an opportunistic gambler.

Miriam Socorrás is compelling as a free-spirited river “nun”, who hardly does things by the book.

Director Mascaro has us rooting all the way for the adventurous Tereza.

Rated M, The Blue Trail is an intriguing watch, with a number of magical moments, and scores a 7½ out of 10.