Movie Review: 'The Pink Cloud' is a Must See

The Pink Cloud was made before the pandemic hit in 2020. I have to mention this because as I lay out the description of the plot of The Pink Cloud you may find that fact hard to believe. The Pink Cloud posits a story in which a man and woman hooking up on a one night stand end up stuck together in the woman’s home when their home in Brazil is surrounded by a Pink Cloud that kills anyone it touches in a mere 10 seconds of exposure.

The echoes of Shelter in Place at the start of the pandemic are undeniable and the claustrophobic memories of isolation and fear are palpable. And yet, The Pink Cloud came into existence before we could all relate to it on such a bone deep level. This fact only serves to underscore the hypnotic power of this Brazilian movie which went from science fiction to speculative fiction with no effort whatsoever on the part of the filmmakers.

The Pink Cloud stars Renata De Lelis as Giovana and Eduardo Mendonca as Yago. When we meet them they are drunk and enjoying each other’s company on what they expect will be a one night stand. What they don’t know, but we do, is that a pink cloud has descended and is moving over the globe. We’ve seen in a pre-credits sequence, a man on a dock observing the cloud, getting close to it and falling dead where he stands. It’s a striking opening sequence and it sets an eerie and uncomfortable tone.

In the morning, Giovana and Yago are awakened by an emergency alert from some unseen bullhorn telling everyone to shut their windows and doors and stay inside until further notice. Shelter in place is the message and the two settle in for what they assume will be several hours of awkward small talk until they can return to their respective lives. Then the cloud doesn’t lift. It’s unclear how many people are dead but the message from the government is clear, DO NOT GO OUTSIDE.

Time passes and hours become days and become weeks. Out of sheer inertia, Giovana and Yago become a couple. While they facetime with friends and family subplots emerge involving Giovana’s teenage sister who is trapped at a friend’s suburban slumber party, a friend named Sarah who is trapped in her apartment completely alone and isolated, and Yago’s invalid father with a failing memory who is trapped with his visiting nurse. These subplots are smart and scary and offer several incredible yet small moments. When Sarah stops answering her phone your breath catches as you wonder about her fate.

Weeks, months and years pass as the story goes on and the movie answers questions both practical and emotional. The Pink Cloud is a very smart and thoughtful film in which people ask exactly the kinds of questions you might ask in a similar situation. As time passes despair and heartache come to dominate some lives while others adapt far too well, some beginning to worship the Cloud as if it were a divine intervention.

The obvious correlative to the story of The Pink Cloud is the looming threat of climate change which indeed could produce future conditions that force people to shelter in place and the government to find ways to deliver resources while also trying to maintain a working economy. That’s part of what I find so relevant and frightening about The Pink Cloud is how incredible the movie is at portraying the ways in which some people adapt so well to this new normal. We should be fighting climate change, not trying to adapt to it. That feels like surrender even more than those who give into despair as the story of The Pink Cloud proceeds.

The Pink Cloud was directed by Luli Gerbase and for a first feature it is utterly brilliant. The visuals are lovely and elegant, the emotion feels authentic and the dread is as palpable as the implied boredom. The cinematography is beautiful, lush but with a hazy quality that evokes the stale air of being trapped in one place for a long period of time. The film is evocative and at times bracing and yet, Gerbase’s pacing of the story keeps it from becoming too oppressive or overwhelming.

These two complicated characters and the unique path of their relationship and life together is riveting. The chemistry and anti-chemistry of Lelis and Mondanca is achingly authentic. The evolution of their relationship, the way they settle into a pattern, develop genuine feelings, come to hate each other and how the relationship plays out is consistently engaging and fascinating. Even the characters on Facetime calls have rich stories occurring on the fringe of The Pink Cloud.

After premiering one year ago at Sundance 2021, The Pink Cloud is receiving a limited theatrical release on January 14th, 2022 and if it is anywhere near you, I highly recommend you see it. Wear your mask, get your booster, and keep socially distanced so you can have the experience of The Pink Cloud. It’s absolutely worth it.