Laura Merians Goncalves

Laura Merians Goncalves has this knack for capturing raw, gritty stories that hit you right in the gut. Her work in Pacified (2019) is a solid example – she weaves through the tangled lives of people in a Rio de Janeiro favela, showing their struggles and scraps of hope with a camera that feels like it’s breathing right alongside them. You’re not just watching from the sidelines; you’re basically in the thick of it, dodging the same chaos they are. The way she frames those moments, you catch glimpses of heartbreak, tension, and those rare flickers of joy that make the whole mess feel real. Then there’s 11:14 (2003), which is a wild, darkly comedic ride through one night’s chain reaction of disasters. Multiple storylines crash into each other around, well, 11:14 PM. Laura brings this kind of frenetic, almost manic energy to the visuals, keeping you guessing what’s going to blow up next, literally or metaphorically. The editing and pacing are sharp, and you can almost smell the gasoline and cheap perfume in the air. Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men (2021) slows things down, but in a good way. It’s intimate, sometimes painfully honest, tracking the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, and how the messiness of life and love gets passed down. Laura leans into the small, quiet moments, letting them breathe. The result is something that feels both universal and deeply personal – a signature move for her, honestly. She’s not afraid to linger where others might cut away, making her films stick with you long after the credits roll.