The absence of this is noticeable in the interviewees’ voices, gestures, and expressions. Their faces show that for some aging came faster while having sorrow and desolation as conductors. Still, this perception is nuanced as the Brazilian true crime docuseries ‘Finding Priscila’ (2024) presents the story of the missing Priscila Belfort in a grounded and relatable approach, avoiding the sensationalist troupes of mainstream media.
Priscila went missing in January 2004, and the four-episode Disney+ docuseries not only presents to the viewer what transpired in those days at the dawn of the 21st century but also what has unfolded since then, considering the relatives and friends, the authorities, Brazilian society and its aftermath.
According to the 2024 Public Security Annual Report, in 2023, 80,317 missing people were registered in Brazilian territory. A rise of 3.2% from 2022, numbers that expose how deep this issue bleeds in Brazilian society. Through the picture ‘I’m Still Here,’ Brazil is getting a glimpse of what it is to have a missing one, and ‘Finding Priscila’ can be seen as a companion piece to Walter Salles’ masterwork ‘I’m Still Here’ (2024).
‘Finding Priscila’ tells the ordeal of Priscila Belfort, a young architect who was diagnosed with depression but with a happy social life and a talent for the arts. Priscila is also the sister of MMA champion Vitor Belfort, married to Joana Prado, a former TV personality. The couple are very popular in Brazilian society and were at the height of their fame in the 2000s, which ended up making the disappearance of Priscila reported by many media outlets, thus affecting Brazilian society and creating a curious feeling of false omnipresence as Priscila’s face could be seen in many places, her name was always heard, but she wasn’t at home.
Priscila’s face became a fixture in the news and TV shows, and the docuseries acts as a document on how the media could affect stories and people’s perceptions, and ‘Finding Priscila’ doesn’t forget the media dark side composed of exploitation. Outlets and media channels would reproduce many of the “hearsay” stories about the youngster, thus tarnishing her image and bringing more pain to the family, but all “in the name of journalism,” as such “professionals” usually utter.
The Disney+ production respects Priscila, the Belfort family, its viewers, and itself by avoiding such tropes and keeping seriousness and intelligence as the criteria. The soundtrack follows the narrowing and troublesome situations without having that cheesy appeal from lower productions, and in the end, it acts as a trump to ‘Finding Priscila’ as it doesn’t steal the focus from where it should be.
As a writer, I’ve covered the issue of missing Brazilian people by interviewing relatives who keep looking out for their loved ones. ‘Finding Priscila’ is very capable in representing the void that can be felt in those who are waiting for their loved ones or to at least bury their bodies. Their households also express such sensations; it is as if the air is heavier, the colors show a darker tone, and the rooms seem more spacious than they actually are.
Priscila was struggling with depression, and although it is a documentary and not a drama, ‘Finding Priscila’ is still able to capture this disease and reproduce its symptoms within the narrative as one can feel not only the sadness but the lethargy and despair that it brings not only to the person in question but also how it affects those around them.
The capacity to reproduce the sensations of absence and depression is due to the skill and craftsmanship of Finding Priscila’s team. The direction is precise, and the editing and photography complement each other, showing the beauty of Rio de Janeiro but also its shadowy corners while valuing the storytelling process and not resorting to being another “talking heads” festival.
Props also to the art department for the creative way it retells some parts of Priscila’s story, in particular her journals and artistic work, and to the writing team that sews the storytelling in a way that different threads connect and for finding light and endearing moments in a tragic story that makes the road for the viewer easier.
On the specialists’ side, the interview with journalist and researcher Bruna Rodrigues is among the best. The times that the mother, Jovita Belfort, appears are those that show how deep it cuts because, as in many stories of missing people, the one that does most of the search and takes the brunt of the suffering many times is the mother.
‘Finding Priscila’ shows a vulnerable and not much-seen side of Vitor Belfort, a cage legend, and the docuseries help humanize someone who is already so mediatized, hailing from a popular combat sport by showing a more intimate side. ‘Finding Priscila’ is haunting, urges Brazilian authorities to do more, and Priscila’s story would make a compelling live-action drama.
(4 / 5)
