Sundance 2024 Interview: Daniel Barosa Discusses His Short Film, Boi de Conchas (The Shell Covered Ox)

Daniel Barosa, a prolific and award-winning filmmaker well-acquainted with the global stage, draws inspiration from the rich history, culture, and traditions of Bertioga, Brazil for his latest short film. Premiering at Sundance 2024, Boi de Conchas (The Shell Covered Ox) delves into the profound folklore of the region, tackling themes of grief and depression through the lens of the younger generation.

While coping with the absence of her sister, Rayane navigates the responsibilities of aiding her fisherman father and preparing for the school’s music festival. Yet, looming over her is the risk of succumbing to an unfortunate fate—a transformation into an ox, a plight that befalls numerous teenagers in the area.

Pop Culturalist had the privilege of conversing with Daniel in anticipation of Sundance 2024. Our discussion covered insights into Boi de Conchas (The Shell Covered Ox), exploring how the film captures the essence of Bertioga and its fisherman community, among other intriguing aspects.

PC: Boi de Conchas (The Shell Covered Ox) was inspired by a local folklore. How did you first come across this story, and when did you realize you wanted to adapt it for this medium?
Daniel: The region where we shot the film, Bertioga, is a small town near São Paulo, where my wife is from. We’ve been together for twenty years, and we’ve always visited the area. It feels like a second home to me. So, I really wanted to shoot something in this area. I came across this local folklore and this beach near Bertioga that actually had oxen that are often lost and roaming there. I thought, “Oh, wow. This is so interesting.” Those were such strong images, and then I added these coming-of-age themes and teen angst and that’s how it started.

PC: The town feels like a character in itself. It was really important to you as a filmmaker to highlight the spirit of this area. Can you talk a bit more about your connection with the fisherman community and the creative decisions that you made to bring that authenticity to the screen?
Daniel: We have the story of the oxen, but at the same time, we have the story of Rayane and her family. Her father is a fisherman, and that was largely influenced by my wife’s parents, my father-in-law, and mother-in-law.

They’re from São Paulo. They moved to Bertioga in the ’80s because they wanted to start a life in this fisherman community, so they left everything behind. The mother in the short film has a fish stand, which was inspired by my mother-in-law. So a lot of those elements, I got from them. They shared all these stories that really helped me create this world.

When we were shooting it, I knew we had these fantastical elements with the oxen, but it also has real themes as well. We wanted to shoot it almost like a documentary so that it has that contrast with the story. When we were shooting the fish market, which is where my mother-in-law has worked since she moved there in the ’80s, we wanted to show it for what it is. We didn’t want to do too much, so we had minimal production design.

PC: You really transport audiences there. There’s a lot of vulnerability that you’re asking from your cast as they tackle these themes of grief and loss. As the writer-director, how did you create the space and trust on set for your actors to explore their characters’ emotional journeys?
Daniel: Our main protagonist, Bebé Salvego, isn’t actually an actress. She’s a musician. We wanted a musician for the role because of her character’s connection with music, especially when you’re playing an instrument. You have to start young. Bebé started super young. She was this teenage superstar. She’s this singer-songwriter, composer, and one of the best bass players. She has this strong presence on stage.

I worked with her like I would work with any other actress. We got together a bunch of times and we did rehearsals. But we didn’t rehearse the scene, the dialogue and everything were more like guidelines. I wanted to help them to get into the mindset of their characters, what they were feeling, and things like that.

The screenplay wasn’t exactly how we shot it. There were different versions, and it changed a lot. But the main conflict was around the mourning of the missing sister because that’s what everything revolves around, and that’s when we discovered this strong theme of grief.

That’s where it all began. It was in those rehearsals. I talked a lot with Bebé and the mother about what happened to the sister. What was her past like? What is she feeling?

PC: Bebé is incredible. Your use of metaphors in this project is so refreshing. The death-metal genre perfectly encapsulates the internal rage that your protagonist is experiencing at this point in her life. How did you find Krisiun, and what was that collaboration like?
Daniel: Krisiun is a band that I knew from the ’90s. They’re a great death-metal band from Brazil. I really like their music, the bleak lyrics, and the raw energy. It sounds like teenage angst, and that’s something I really wanted to convey from the beginning. I was able to get in touch with Moyses [Kolesne], one of the band members, and he was super into the project. He thought it was really interesting. He suggested a bunch of songs that we could use. This is an independent film, and we don’t have the money for music rights, so they really made it possible for us to use the music.

At the same time, we also have Thiago Klein who did the original score. He created a score that had these fantasy tones, which I love the balance of that with the death metal. We didn’t want it to be a documentary or a fantasy or a death-metal film; we wanted it to be experimental and have everything balance each other.

PC: With the film premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, is there a scene that you’re excited for them to see?
Daniel: There’s a scene where all the girls are talking on the beach. None of them are actors. They’re all locals from that town. They go to a community theater. They all have their jobs, but they have this passion for art, acting, and film. This is their first time on camera, and I’m so proud of the result because it feels so natural. I’m really happy that the world will be able to get to see them and this city and all the talent there.

To keep up with Daniel, follow him on Instagram. To learn more about the film, head over to the Sundance.org.