This is a documentary about Santiago Badariotti Merlo, an Argentine man who was the butler of the filmmaker and his parents for thirty years in their large home in Brazil. It is made by veteran documentary filmmaker João Moreira Salles, who filmed the material in 1992 but left it unfinished until he returned to it 15 years later. Salles discovered that he was in fact the subject of the documentary, and uses creative editing to show how he orients the directions in Santiago’s life and to reveal the relations of power at play between Santiago and the family. The film is recognized as a reflection on “framing” documentaries, and won “best documentary” in several film festivals. This film was donated by Duke University Visiting Instructor Aaron Lorenz.
Type: DocumentaryLength: - minutes
Year: 2007
Audio Language: English, Spanish, Portuguese
Subtitles: English
Themes: Biography, Social Life and Customs
Director(s): João Moreira Salles
