Summer of Gods is a thrilling short drama film created by Eliciana Nascimento that will
catch your attention the first few minutes you are tuned in. It is only 20 minutes long, which
allows the audience to be glued to the screen and have a clear understanding of all the events
happening, character relations and plot. The film is spoken in Portuguese but has accurate
subtitles to allow the audience to follow along. In this film the main character is Lilli played by
Isabela Santos who she visits her grandmother. This story takes in the summer months in Rural
Brazil, the popular northeast part of Brazil to be exact. In this film religion in an important value
to the Brazilian Culture. With Brazil’s dedication to their religion, they have many traditions to
celebrate. In the film Lilli’s grandmother oversees an annual celebration for the Orisha Yemanjá.
This celebration consists of showing gratitude to their god by participating in a ritual to give
back appreciation to all the things they have been blessed with. This tradition is a repeating event
amongst the culture but this summer it is now in jeopardy and Lilli is faced with a challenge to
save it all. Lilli is presented by goddesses and higher authority to save the day. Throughout
Lilli’s journey she is going to discover herself more internally, as well as understanding her
external perspective she already knows. By connecting these two Lilli begins to gain knowledge
on her identity
Overall this pan African themed film will make you feel wholesome. It covers a journey
that allows readers to see a clear problem and the process it takes to over come it. This
demonstrates that when situations seem terrible, circumstances can always grow to be better. The
resilience Lilli displayed on her mission, can inspire young and older viewers that when things
get tough from having a lot on your back, you must keep going. With the use of slow toned
music throughout the film it adds a dramatic effect to the plot. The slow choice of music can
natch the audience in emotionally. The use of pathos throughout this film allows the audience to
have an attachment to the main character Lilli. This allows the audience to have a feel for what
Lilli is experiencing internally.
One of the themes in this film was religion. Religion is important amongst people of the
African diaspora because it’s what connects a community together, get one another through
hardships and maintain a sense of clarity. Although people of the African Diaspora are spreaded
out amongst many regions, core values remain the same. This is demonstrated in the film that
their religious tradition is important because no matter what, they wouldn’t let the tradition die.
Passing down the tradition from generation to generation shows that families of the African
diaspora instill values to make life enjoyable and they fight hard to keep their culture alive
because many times it has been attempted to be washed away. But yet it continues to remain strong.
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