The mysterious Brazilian drama The Fever is rich with hints of otherworldly forces operating beyond the perceptions of ordinary life. Yet this quiet film never makes a show of its invisible magic; signs and wonders are there only for those who believe in dreams and the mystical character of nature. The story concerns middle-aged Justino (Regis Myrupu), a native of the indigenous Desana tribe, who works as a security guard at a cargo port in Manaus. A widower, Justino has a tranquil domestic life with his grown daughter, Vanessa (Rosa Peixoto), a nurse who has applied for a scholarship to attend medical school in another city. The gentle sameness of daily life is interrupted by a convergence of events.
First, Vanessa gets her scholarship and prepares to leave home. Meanwhile, human resources at Justino’s employer is on his case, warning him that he seems distracted and his job is in peril. Somewhere in there, he contracts a strange fever his white doctor can't explain or treat, while his nightly dreams are haunted by images Justino’s brother says are suggestions of danger. Finally, and most enigmatic, is the spectral presence of a large beast in the woods prowling near Justino’s house and the cargo port. People, including Justino, can hear the animal roaming and growling, but no one has seen it.
A viewer might think that taken together, these various developments might overwhelm a story, but filmmaker Maya Da-Rin keeps things at a low simmer, never a boil. That tonal control keeps the suggested, subconscious linkage between Vanessa’s imminent departure, the fever, the beast, etc. from spilling over into obviousness, and sets up an unexpected ending to the film that lingers deep in the imagination. As with the narrative, the look and feel of The Fever is far from ostentatious.
Da-Rin captures images that might seem prosaic if one saw them in real life, yet here they bear an unusual lyricism: Justino’s nightly ritual of departing a bus and trudging home; the juxtaposition of cargo holders held aloft by cranes. The world is full of miracles, The Fever tells us. You just have to know how to find them. Strongly recommended.