‘On Behalf of My Son’ Director Gabriel Martins on Black Brazilian Representation in His Films: ‘It’s a Life Project To Me, Not Just Cinema’

In 2022, Gabriel Martins made waves at the Sundance Film Festival with “Mars One,” a sprawling ensemble drama chronicling the life of a Black Brazilian family. At that time, the industry was still wrestling with what a post-pandemic future would look like and, despite “Mars One” having a strong festival run, Martins struggled to secure financing for his follow-up.

Four years later, with Netflix on board, the director returns to a major festival with “On Behalf of My Son,” world premiering in the prestigious Platform section of the Toronto Film Festival. 

Related Stories

Wim-Wenders Produced 'I'll Be Gone in June' Bought for North America After Cannes Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

Bruno Dumont’s Cannes Movie 'Red Rocks' Sells to North America (EXCLUSIVE)

The drama reunites Martins with Rejane Faria, who seesaws between the visceral and the poised in her embodiment of Vicentina, the mother of a bus driver who apparently killed himself and dozens of passengers in a planned suicide crash. As the woman begins to pull at the complicated threads that made up her son’s psyche on the days leading up to the accident, she decides to contact the victims’ families and apologize on behalf of Wesley. “On Behalf of My Son” is produced by Martins’ Filmes de Plástico for Netflix Brazil, and stars Maíra Azevedo, Renato Novaes, Karine Telles, Giovanna Heliodoro, Thalma de Freitas, and Grace Passô. 

Speaking with Variety ahead of the film’s premiere in Toronto, Martins notes how “Mars One” came out at a time when “Brazilian cinema was trying to recover” not only from the impact of COVID-19 but also from the major budget cuts for culture and political instability under the Bolsonaro government. “This partnership with Netflix came at a very important moment,” he notes.

“‘On Behalf of My Son’ was an older project than ‘Mars,’ a project I’ve tried to make possible for many years, but it was very complex,” he goes on. “We needed several locations, a large ensemble; the theme was dense… I think the film comes at a very opportune time. We were ready, as a production company, to make a film this big and make it the best it could be. Those were four years of maturing and making the most of all the doors ‘Mars One’ opened to us.”

Having Netflix’s support gave Martins a much more robust budget and the possibility to deliver a film that remains intimate and heartfelt while also displaying a higher production value – including a memorable crash scene. “Netflix arrived as a partner at a time when the idea was already consolidated, and we had a very strong script,” he says of what the streamer thought of balancing the two. “What you see onscreen was already very clear to us, and they came into the project wanting to support this idea of working on a story that would challenge the audience but was also universal.”

Higia Ikeda, director of films at Netflix Brazil, echoes that thought: “Netflix is proud to partner with visionary storytellers like Gabriel Martins. It’s amazing to see how such a particular Brazilian story can connect with audiences across different cultures.”

“‘On Behalf of My Son’ is a true testament to how sophisticated and diverse Brazilian cinema has become,” she adds. “Through its reflection on grief, solitude, forgiveness, and how life’s encounters shape us, the film invites us all to appreciate the power of human connection. We’re proud to partner with a unique Brazilian production company like Filmes de Plástico to bring such a sensitive and powerful story to the world.”

But the film could have ten times its budget and still not work without a central performance as powerful as Faria’s, who is almost unrecognizable onscreen. The duo first met in 2013, when the actress was working with Maurílio Martins, one of the founding members of Filmes de Plástico, on the short film “Quinze.” “My understanding of cinema came from working with them. I left that film and made some more, learned some more, and eventually reunited with Gabriel in ‘Mars One’ and now ‘On Behalf of My Son.’”

“Vicentina was a major challenge, something completely different from anything I had done before,” she adds. “Gabriel didn’t write the character for me, as I was too young for it when he wrote it, but since the film took a decade to get made, I inched a little closer to her in age, and our relationship also narrowed. He knew I could make it work and get her to the place he wanted. I gave all of myself to the role; I became a completely different person.”

Faria credits the “trust” Martins had in her, as well as his sharp direction, with the success of her performance. “We achieved something great and very new when compared to the work we’ve done before. I had a great desire to see a different side of myself, and this character, who required a lot of makeup and had completely different body language, allowed me to step out of myself.”

With “Mars One,” Martins became the first-ever Black director to be chosen by Brazil to represent the country at the Oscars. With “On Behalf of My Son,” the director once again brings a large Black ensemble to the screen, showcasing the strength of Black creatives in a country that still struggles with representation despite having the second-largest Black population in the world, and the largest outside of Africa. Martins cast the film himself, saying it is one of the things that “makes him the happiest” about the project. 

“I love watching these people; it was incredible to be on set with these people, and putting them in the spotlight is aggrandizing,” he continues. “It’s a life project, not just cinema to me. It’s a project that involves wanting to see a better world, and that goes through directing people’s gaze to these stories, to interesting people. It makes me want to shoot more and more. Arriving at such a major festival, a festival that has a lot of influence, with this cast, is a great life experience for me.”

Faria emphasizes that working with such a diverse cast “becomes bigger than the film.” “To have the film play [in Toronto], to see the impact on everyone who’s involved makes me so happy, and amplifies the political aspect of it, too.”

“The political comes alongside my well-being and that of all involved,” she goes on. “ We were very, very happy with how we made the film, and we yearned to have our peers with us. When Gabriel offers the opportunity of having a majorly Black ensemble, he turns a desire we have all had for so long into a real possibility: the desire not to walk alone. To not experience success alone, but to bring others with you. Opening these doors is so important. It is a major step, and it says a lot about not only what we have already achieved but what we are yet to achieve.”

“On Behalf of My Son” will open in select cinemas on limited release Nov. 5, arriving on Netflix Nov. 20.