The gay drama Futuro Beach centres on a Brazilian lifeguard who follows a man to a new life in Germany, a journey that’s reflected in the life of filmmaker Karim Aïnouz (Madame Satã), who grew up in Fortaleza and now lives in Berlin. Jack Leger chatted with him in London.
What sparked this story?
It was just a wish to shoot a movie on this beach where I grew up. I had this image of a lifeguard standing on his platform and looking out. Most of that time they’re imagining what’s in the ocean, waiting for something to happen. But this guy sees the sea as a border that separates him from the world.
Is that how you felt?
Yes, I was looking at the horizon and imagining what’s happening on the other side. I’ve always wanted to make a film about immigration, especially the sexual diaspora, where you leave a place because of gender politics. So it became a film about somebody who just wants to go.
It’s a remarkably manly gay drama.
Yes, it’s affection between men. Donato [Elite Squad star Wagner Moura] is courageous but he’s also a coward. So I’m playing with cliches: motorbikes, the military, danger, heroism and so on. I wanted to make a man’s film with violence and speed and risk, but I also thought it was important that the masculinity was quite vulnerable.
Does his desire to leave say something about Brazilian society?
It’s not like he’s living in Uganda! He just wants something different. I needed to leave Brazil in 1988 otherwise I would have had a double life. I don’t think it’s like that anymore. Brazil’s sexual politics have improved immensely, but in the last year it has completely gone wrong. The man running Brazil’s congress is super right wing and religiously intolerant. So everything was fine, but now there’s violence and intolerance.
Wagner Moura is a huge star in Brazil. Was it difficult for him to take such an explicit role?
It was, but he’s a guy who loves to take risks. He and [costar Clemens Schick] spent time together getting to know each other and building trust before the on-screen action started.
The sex in the film is unusually masculine.
It’s playful and a bit violent. But sex needs to be vital. The scene where they have sex for the first time originally came later in the film, after they get to know each other. But this is the classic romantic path that I don’t really believe in. There’s no reason we shouldn’t have sex with somebody we’ve just met. I think it’s important to talk about masculine affection. It’s physical bonding that creates romance, not the other way around.
• Futuro Beach is in cinemas now.
