HNIFF 2025
The Shell Covered Ox
Directed by Daniel Barosa · Brazil · 15 min · short · narrative
While mourning her missing sister, Rayane balances helping her fisherman father and practicing for the school's music festival – provided she doesn't become an ox first, a misfortune assailing several teenagers in the area.
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From the director
"The Shell Covered Ox" borrows its title from a folkloric manifestation born in Ubatuba, Brazil, about an Ox named Ratambufe. The animal longed to see the ocean, but its owner consistently failed to fulfill his promise. Ratambufe eventually flees into the sea to escape its real fate: the slaughterhouse. Brazil is the country of the future that never arrives and is one of the largest cattle producers in the world. With that said, this tale acquires a curious note, not to say sad.
Fast-forward a couple of years. Intense crises in Brazil permeate the social, political, and economic spheres. Emotional distance has become the norm, depression among young people is a way of life, and adults are governed by extreme principles. However, nothing explains the mysterious cases of teenagers who disappear and, as gossip has it, turn into oxen.
Despite this austere world, Rayane remains determined to honor her missing sister's memory. This story is about grief, using a fantasy premise to draw attention to issues such as depression, broken homes, and the challenges Brazil faces in the post-pandemic world. The film conjectures, with a small dose of humor, what might come to be – internet data becomes currency, prescription medication becomes candy, and teenagers become so resigned to their fate that they resemble silent oxen grazing in the fields.
