The Brazilian documentary film My Darling Supermarket (Meu Querido Supermercado), filmmaker Tali Yankelevich’s witty and humorous portrait of a Brazilian supermarket will get a U.S. virtual theatrical release via Cinema Tropical, opening on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at Film Forum in New York City, followed by other cities nationwide.
My Darling Supermarket, the auspicious debut feature by Tali Yankelevich, had its world premiere in the IDFA Competition for First Appearance and has successfully played in numerous film festivals including MoMA’s Documentary Fortnight, Visions du Réel, Edinburgh, Thessaloniki, Guadalajara, and DOXA, among others.
Grocery store employees, today’s essential workers, get star treatment in My Darling Supermarket (made prior to the pandemic). Set within a bright, colorful supermercado in São Paulo, Brazil, this charming, funny documentary glides through a seemingly endless array of vibrantly designed shelves and displays, but it’s the store’s employees who take center stage.
“Rodrigo (in bread) discusses quantum physics and parallel universes; Santo (a forklift operator) builds video game cities; a security officer tracks possible shoplifters on closed circuit TVs (“Two suspects near the condensed milk!”); Ivan (a baker) likes to dress as Goku, a Manga character; and then there’s the artist who lovingly paints the prices. A panoply of individuals with fears, hopes, and questions about their place in the universe are celebrated in a quirky portrait that juxtaposes their idiosyncrasies with the assumed mundanity of bringing food to our table.” (Film Forum).
