Samuel and the Light

Young Samuel lives in Ponta Negra, Brazil, whose inhabitants have been living without electricity. They lead an idyllic life, following the rhythm of nature. When the project ‘Light for All’ arrives, everything changes.

Filmed over the course of six years, Samuel and the Light looks at a family living in a small village on the coast of Brazil. The established rhythms of their life change with the arrival of electricity and tourism in their community. Focusing on Samuel, the youngest of the family, the film witnesses the spill-over of industrialization into a previously idyllic community.

Roles in the home and in the community are redrawn for Samuel and his family. Director Vinícius Girnys shapes moments that show the changing pulse of a previously secluded village. A poetic and understated portrait of contemporary Brazil under the currents of capital and globalization.