Visually, A Menina e o Cavalo is a stark departure from the polished black-and-white existentialism of Khouri’s earlier classics. It utilizes a color palette that is muted, often relying on natural lighting that emphasizes the textures of the skin and the harshness of the sun.
The direction is characterized by long, static takes that force the viewer to endure uncomfortable silences. This pacing is crucial to the film's power. It creates a sense of real-time awkwardness and tension that mirrors the protagonist's psychological state. The "better" quality of this film lies in its refusal to manipulate the audience with melodramatic music or quick cuts. It presents suffering in real-time, a stylistic choice that demands intellectual engagement rather than passive consumption.
To understand why this version is considered “better,” we must look at the context. 1983 was the tail end of Brazil’s Embrafilme era, where state-sponsored cinema produced daring, socially conscious art. The country was hungry for realism.
Faria shot A Menina e o Cavalo on location in the pampas (grasslands) during a record-breaking winter. The child actress, 11-year-old Luciana Braga, had never acted before. The horse, Trovão (Thunder), was a semi-feral Crioulo breed known for kicking crew members. a menina e o cavalo 1983 better
There were no stunt doubles. In the film’s most famous sequence—where Joana tames the horse by lying still in a freezing river—Braga was actually hypothermic. Faria kept cameras rolling. That is not cruelty; that is commitment. And you feel it. Every frame vibrates with real cold, real mud, and real risk.
Modern “better” films would use a puppet, a CGI composite, or a cutaway. A Menina e o Cavalo gives you the single take. That is why purists call it better.
In 2022, a restored version of A Menina e o Cavalo was screened at the Cinemateca Portuguesa in Lisbon. Film critics who had dismissed it as "minor De Sousa" were stunned. The original negative, thought lost, had been found in a flooded warehouse in Rio de Janeiro. After digital restoration (removing scratches but preserving grain), the film’s true visual poetry emerged. Year: 1983 Country: Brazil Director: (Verify local credits
Online forums, especially Portuguese-language film groups on Reddit and Facebook, exploded with the phrase "a menina e o cavalo 1983 better". Better than they remembered from childhood VHS tapes. Better than the director’s later work. Better than Black Beauty (1994). The meme stuck, but it carries real weight.
To understand the "better" argument, we must acknowledge the film’s troubled release. In 1983, Brazil was still under the military dictatorship (though in its final years). The film’s subtle critique of land development and government overreach led to its being banned in three Brazilian states. In Portugal, distribution was botched—posters showed a cartoonish horse instead of the real animal, misleading families into expecting a comedy.
The film earned only $47,000 at the box office (adjusted for inflation, about $140,000 today). It disappeared until the late 1990s, when bootleg VHS tapes circulated among horse-loving subcultures. Now, with the restoration, critics agree: the 1983 film is better than its initial reception suggested. with the restoration
Composer Madalena Iglésias, primarily known as a fado singer, wrote her only film score for this picture. The main theme—a solo acoustic guitar mimicking a horse’s trot, layered over a sparse string arrangement—has recently gained traction on YouTube. One comment with thousands of likes reads: "I came for the nostalgia for the 1983 film, but stayed because the music is simply better than most Oscar winners."
The score never overwhelms the action. In the famous nocturnal scene where Teresa sneaks out to feed Vento, the music is barely a whisper—just a faint cello drone and the sound of crickets. Modern films would blast an emotional crescendo. A Menina e o Cavalo knows when to be silent. That is better directing.
Cinematographer Eduardo Serra (who would later work on Girl with a Pearl Earring) shot A Menina e o Cavalo on 35mm Kodak film using natural light. The golden hours of Portuguese autumn are captured with such texture that you can almost feel the dust and smell the eucalyptus. Modern horse films, even good ones, often rely on desaturated color grading or overly sharp digital clarity. The 1983 film’s grain and warmth create an emotional intimacy that 4K cannot replicate.