Around Paradise

Germany2026documentary120'Documentary competition

Although they live in one of the poorest regions of Brazil, they almost burst the screen with girlish energy. The protagonists invite us to a very colorful world on the cusp of carefree fun and coming of age, which usually brings a definitive end to innocence. The camera confronts resolute girls with the fates of their mothers, far from children’s ideas about adulthood. The film captures the moment when social fatalism can be questioned, and one can indulge oneself in dreams. Now, anything still seems possible. A group of well-off Europeans is trying to flee as far as possible from vaccines, taxes, Islam, the spectre of a third world war and a climatic catastrophe. They are searching for freedom in poor regions of southern Paraguay, where they set up a self-sufficient enclave. In this artificial paradise, they pursue spiritual development and implement a neocolonial project. We get to know from up close not just the residents of the settlement but also the darker shades of life in El Paraíso Verde. The counterpoint to the story is a tale of two young Paraguayans – whose problems and dreams as well as local traditions do not pique any interest among the newcomers.