Buried secrets bubble to the surface in Brazilian film-maker Fernanda Faya’s tender and searching documentary, which seeks to disentangle the hidden knots of her fascinating family tree. The film opens with lovingly recorded home videos of various gatherings, including her childhood birthday celebrations, the only time of the year when her paternal grandmother, Nelly, would visit. A formidable woman of Roma ancestry, Nelly came from a long line of skilled circus performers, an illustrious ancestry that ended when Faya’s father did not join the family business.
One particular aspect long eluded Faya: Nelly was always seen with woman called Neirud, whom Faya called aunt, but their actual relationship was a mystery; when Neirud died, her house was emptied of all personal photos and keepsakes. Through meticulous research, Faya gradually uncovered Neirud’s story. A Black woman of towering build, she performed as a wrestler in Nelly’s circus troupe as the “gorilla woman”, a moniker that clearly traded in racial stereotypes. And yet, as with many of her peers, life as a travelling entertainer gave her a degree of freedom not afforded to other women of the time.
This paradox is not the only puzzle that unravels in the documentary. Faya came to discover other clues that reveal not only the nature of the bond between her grandmother and Neirud but also the complex racial fabric of Brazil itself. The interweaving of digital videotapes and archival footage is rich with an edgy visual texture that echoes the thorniness of Neirud’s identity, one that eschews simplistic societal binaries. Though beginning in a place of uncertainty, Faya’s film impresses as a homage not only to a larger-than-life figure, but also to the beauty of alternative family models.
• Neirud is on True Story from 25 April.
