To Say Goodbye: A Documentary on Social Boundaries in Brazil

The Genesis of 'To Say Goodbye'

• 💡 The documentary "To Say Goodbye" explores an elderly woman's departure from her home in Brazil after 60 years to start a new life in Portugal.
• 🎯 Directed and produced by her granddaughter, Portuguese-Brazilian journalist Carolina Sa, the film is a deeply personal project.
• 🧠 Sa's own struggles to adapt to Brazilian society's social codes and barriers, despite it being her "second home," inspired her to explore these divisions.

Two Worlds Within One Apartment

• 🏠 The film centers on the intimate relationship between Sa's grandmother, Dona, a member of Rio's elite, and Jasara, who worked for the grandmother for 32 years.
• 🎭 These two women lived parallel lives within the same apartment, representing diametrically opposed social worlds.
• 🔑 Dona grew up in privilege on a cocoa plantation, educated to be an exemplary housewife.
• ⚠️ Jasara faced precarious conditions, dropping out of school at 12 and raising four children alone before being hired by Dona.

The Apartment as a Microcosm

• 🖼️ The apartment itself, with its iconic view of Copacabana on one side and overlooking a favela on the other, serves as a character.
• ↔️ This physical proximity, divided only by a corridor, illustrates the stark social divisions within Brazilian society.
• ⚽ The film initially used shared cultural moments like watching novelas or football matches as points of connection between the two women.

Evolution and Adaptation

• 📺 Over ten years of filming, Sa observed changes: the grandmother moved to Netflix, and Jasara gained more independence due to new laws.
• ✝️ Jasara became a devoted Evangelical, altering the dynamics within the household.
• ✈️ The project culminated when the grandmother decided to leave Brazil for Portugal in 2020, a move Sa was prepared to document.

From Film to Podcast

• 🎙️ The narrative of "To Say Goodbye" was also adapted into a 58-minute radio documentary.
• 🌍 The podcast delves deeper into the dual portrait of the women's lives, reflecting the political climate of Rio over the past decade and its impact on their relationship.