For anyone looking to understand the soul of Brazilian literature through a modern lens, Luiz Fernando de Carvalho’s Capitu is essential viewing—a rare moment where the power of the image meets the immortality of the word.
However, when the miniseries premiered on Rede Globo in 2008 (as part of the author’s centenary celebrations), it didn't just adapt the book; it shattered the boundaries of television language. Directed by Carvalho and written by Euclydes Marinho, the five-episode series remains one of the most visually stunning and intellectually provocative works in the history of Latin American media. The Aesthetic: A "Paper Theater" of Memory Seriado Capitu - Luis Fernado de Carvalho
É importante notar que a minissérie exibida não foi exatamente a que o diretor finalizou. Houve cortes exigidos pela emissora na época, o que gerou um certo estranhamento na crítica especializada na estreia. Cenas que explicavam melhor o salto temporal e a loucura de Bentinho foram suprimidas. For anyone looking to understand the soul of
When Brazilian director Luiz Fernando Carvalho adapted Machado de Assis’s masterpiece Dom Casmurro into the 2008 microseries Capitu , he committed an act of radical literary translation. Unlike conventional adaptations that treat Bentinho’s narration as fact, Carvalho’s series dismantles the unreliable narrator’s monopoly on truth. In this context, the character of Escobar—Bentinho’s best friend and the alleged lover of Capitu—is reborn. Played with magnetic ambiguity by Luís Fernando de Carvalho, this Escobar is not merely a villain or a phantom of jealousy; he is the axis around which the question of the series turns: The Aesthetic: A "Paper Theater" of Memory É
The miniseries (2008), directed by Luiz Fernando Carvalho , is widely regarded as a landmark in Brazilian television for its "authorial" approach and radical aesthetic departures from traditional soap opera formats. Produced by Rede Globo as part of the Quadrante project to honor the centenary of Machado de Assis, the series is less an adaptation and more a "poetic approximation" of the novel Dom Casmurro . Core Conceptual & Narrative Features
Perhaps Carvalho’s greatest achievement is the performance of his lead actors, particularly Letícia Persiles as Capitu. Rather than playing the character as either a saint or a schemer (the two poles of the novel’s critical history), Persiles embodies a woman of immense intelligence and silent rebellion. Her Capitu is never passive; even in her most vulnerable moments, her eyes suggest a private world that Bentinho cannot enter. This performance, coupled with the miniseries’s symmetrical direction, highlights the tragedy of the relationship: two people who love each other but speak entirely different languages of the heart. Bentinho demands transparency and certainty; Capitu offers mystery and trust. Carvalho suggests that the real betrayal is not the alleged affair with Escobar, but Bentinho’s inability to accept ambiguity as a natural part of love.
of the text, prioritizing an authorial and theatrical visual language over traditional TV realism. BAM | Brooklyn Academy of Music Narrative and Concept The series follows the aging, melancholic Bento Santiago