Cinema, housing and fictionalization

Conversation with Bruno Carboni about The roof above us (2015)

Abstract

Carboni is a young filmmaker and researcher from Rio Grande do Sul who directed the films The accident (O acidente, 2022) and The roof above us (O teto sobre nós, 2015). In his theoretical and cinematographic work, he articulates a reflection on otherness, the face, and the photogénie. This interview falls within the scope of the Filmmakers’ Theory approach. As is clear in this conversation, the film was directly influenced by Pedro Costa’s work and his ethics of the “closed door”, as well as Brazilian cinema of “psychological horror” and, within the context of Rio Grande do Sul, the trend of hybrid films from the 2010s, of which Carboni is an important figure, especially as a film editor. However, it is not only the artistic and theoretical relevance that justifies revisiting a work like The roof above us. After a few years, the building of the filmed occupation is the target of a supposed revitalization, which hinders the dream of popular housing in the building and detracts from the cultural effervescence of which the film is both a product and a testimony.