Ad folk find gold in them there hills

Eldorado – the name derives from an ancient Amazonian king, 'the gilded one', who liked to cover himself in gold dust, but now refers to any place of fabulous wealth or riches. 

In this film, produced by Paranoid, the riches that real-life couple Peele and Yentl find in their new life is time and connection with nature. 

Though the opening chicken-death scene is possibly not ideal viewing for vegetarians, the film is largely an exquisitely poetic portrayal of rural life, boasting lush cinematography by Fernando Bertoluci and a gorgeous original soundtrack by Satelite Audio. 

In 2014, after many years working for ad agencies in São Paulo and the US, Peele and Yentl high-tailed it off to the village of Catuçaba, in the mountains of São Paulo State, to set up a small-holding and grow coffee beans. “Our relationship with time was out of sync,” relates Peele’s voiceover. Now they have the luxury of a slower pace, of “walking with no hurry” and, most importantly, the joy of watching their daughter Pilar grow, “to have a child is to watch time materialise in front of you.”   

Occasionally, the film itself moves at such a leisurely pace, one has to consciously slow down to appreciate it. Which is a meditation in itself. 

Earlier this year, the director showed the piece exclusively to guests at the Museum of Image and Sound (MIS) in São Paulo and just made it public online.