A Menina E O Cavalo 1983 Better May 2026

Faria shot A Menina e o Cavalo on location in the pampas (grasslands) during a record-breaking winter. The child actress, 11-year-old Luciana Braga, had never acted before. The horse, Trovão (Thunder), was a semi-feral Crioulo breed known for kicking crew members.

The search term “better” typically surfaces from online forum debates—usually comparing this obscure Brazilian gem to Hollywood’s far more famous The Black Stallion (1979) or the later The Horse Whisperer (1998). The argument goes: Is the 1983 version actually BETTER than those big-budget productions? a menina e o cavalo 1983 better

How did Faria achieve this? According to set reports, he isolated Braga from the crew for three weeks before shooting. She was allowed to speak only to the horse handler. She slept in a barn. When cameras rolled, she was not “acting” lonely—she was genuinely disoriented and desperate for connection. Faria shot A Menina e o Cavalo on

For those unfamiliar, A Menina e o Cavalo (Portuguese for The Girl and the Horse ) is a 1983 Brazilian drama directed by the late Marcos Faria. It tells the stark, poetic story of a lonely girl, Joana, in rural Rio Grande do Sul, who forms a profound, almost telepathic connection with a wild, injured stallion. It is not a glossy family adventure. It is slow, melancholic, and brutally realistic. The film bombed upon initial release but has since gained a fervent cult following. The search term “better” typically surfaces from online

★★★★★ (5/5) Final rating (as a family film): ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5) Final rating (as a work of art): ★★★★★ (5/5)