“Between him and his dream, a stone.”
LOGLINE
A truck driver agrees to haul a marble block to the Palácio da Alvorada, believing it will change his life. Along the way, he discovers that the city of dreams is, in fact, a graveyard of human hope.
SYNOPSIS
When a struggling truck driver takes on the task of transporting a prized cargo for the construction of Brasília, convinced it will secure a better future for his daughter, he embarks on a brutal journey across the country. What begins as a road to redemption becomes a descent into betrayal, violence, and irreversible loss.
As he nears his destination, he realizes that the utopian promise of the new capital is built on exploitation, corruption, and death. The true challenge, he comes to learn, is not reaching Brasília—but finding a reason to keep going.
“This is not just a film about the making of Brasília. It’s about the price we pay for believing we are part of a dream that was never ours. Mirage is my intimate cry about Brazil, its history, and the silencing of its true heroes.”
— Marcus Ligocki Jr.
DETAILS
- Format: Feature Film
- Genre: Road Movie | Contemporary Western | Existential Drama
- Visual Style: Black and white, with strong emphasis on contrast and texture
- Duration: 100 min
- Budget: R$10 million (~USD $2M)
- Writer | Director | Producer: Marcus Ligocki Jr.
- Cinematographer: Walter Carvalho
ARTISTIC REFERENCES
Literary:
- The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway
- East of Eden – John Steinbeck
- The Verdict at Canudos – Sándor Márai
Cinematic:
- Paris, Texas – Wim Wenders
- Nomadland – Chloé Zhao | Fox Searchlight
- The Turin Horse – Béla Tarr