Dona Flor and her Two Husbands is a 1976 comedy directed by Bruno Barreto. Set in the context of Bahia, the film is a humorous look at Brazilian rural establishments and culture in the 1970s. In the film, a Vadinho do Guimares – a perennial gambler and spendthrift dies during a carnival (Barreto). His widow Dona Flor dedicates herself to her cooking school and later marries a pharmacist called Teodoro (Barreto). She later dreams of her late husband’s amorous attentions as she gets dissatisfied by Teodoro’s love-making. One evening Vadinho appears in bed to demand his marital rights (Barreto) and from thence, Dona decides to “live” with both of them.
The death of Vadinho in a carnival depicts the ardent following this event has and shows how highly Brazilians regard it as a part of their culture. The film also shows the cultural and racial mixture (mesticagem) of Brazil of comprising of Portuguese and African people. Other aspects of culture are brought out through Brazilian food such as the feijoada (mixture of beans and pork) and religion based on Roman Catholicism. When Vadinho died, Flor mourned him for several days an aspect of Brazilian culture based especially on their African heritage. Flor also appealed to the gods to intervene in her dilemma over her “husbands”. The Mulata-a light skinned beauty of mixed race epitomizes the sensuality of Brazilian culture.
The film also shows the place of women in the Brazilian culture. Women are supposed to be submissive to their husbands as attested by the life of Dona Flor. The roles of women in ancient Brazilian culture were restricted to household chores as brought out in the life of Dona Flor who was taking cooking classes.
The culture of Brazil is to date characterized by significant diversity among the citizens as attested by the contrasting lifestyles of vadinho and Teodoro. While Vadinho was a spendthrift and uncouth, Teodoro was refined and had an enviable career as a pharmacist.
Works cited
Baretto, Bruno. Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands. Embrafilme Warner Bros. (US) 1976.
