Foreign Land (film)
1996 film by Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas
Foreign Land (Portuguese: Terra Estrangeira) is a 1995 Brazilian action film directed by Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas.
In 2015, the Brazilian Film Critics Association aka Abraccine voted Foreign Land the 47th greatest Brazilian film of all time, in its list of the 100 best Brazilian films.
Synopsis
The film deals with the loneliness experienced by immigrants. It tells the story of Paco (Fernando Alves Pinto), who wants to get to know his mother's land. After her death, and with no money after the confiscation promoted by Collor, Paco accepts to deliver a mysterious package, on request of the also mysterious Igor (Luís Mello), in Portugal, in exchange for the cost of the trip. After losing the package, he meets up with Alex (Fernanda Torres), a Brazilian who works as a waitress in Portugal and lives with Miguel (Alexandre Borges), a musician-turned-heroin addict. Fleeing to Spain, Paco is pursued by bandits interested in the package.
Cast
Alberto Alexandre - Maitre Machado
Fernando Alves Pinto - Paco
Alexandre Borges - Miguel
Canto e Castro - Porteiro
Laura Cardoso - Manuela
António Cara D'Anjo - Espanhol 1
Filipe Ferrer - Coprador
João Grosso - Carlos
Miguel Guilherme - André
Miguel Hurst - Angolano 3
Tchéky Karyo - Kraft
João Lagarto - Pedro
Zeka Laplaine - Loli
Álvaro Lavín - Espanhol 2
Carla Lupi - Agente turismo
Fernanda Torres - Alex
Review
Foreign Land (Terra Estrangeira), directed by Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas, is a story of fate, one of the foreign lands of the title. It’s a compelling tale accompanied by some great cinematography by Walter Carvalho and a fine choice of suitably melancholic fado tunes by José Miguel Wisnik. It is also something of a homage in a wider sense to the movement of people and the idea and importance of belonging...
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Foreign Land (film)” as 1996 film by Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1996 film by Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5468276. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1995 and 2015.
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