IFFK 2025: Anti-ageism film Blue Trail portrays the joy of discovering the new at old age

It is no mystery that big business often dictate government policy changes in countries across the globe, so much so that the policy change at the heart of Brazilian filmmaker Gabriel Mascaro’s Blue Trail appears even plausible in a dystopian future, in which the film is set in. The government has just announced a policy to shift senior citizens above the age of 75 into a colony, but 77-year-old Tereza (Denise Weinberg) is in no mood to retire. Pushed out from a still active work life, the woman devises ways to escape the authorities and make her dream of flying in an aeroplane a reality.

Films themed on old age have always attracted much love from the audience at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), with Blue Trail having some similarities to Kislay’s Aise Hee, screened at the festival in 2019. If the protagonist in Aise Hee was hemmed in by her family and the conservative society around her, in Blue Trail, it is an all-powerful government itself which tries to put her away in a colony meant for those above 80. The stated purpose is the freeing up of the energies of their younger family members, to increase the country’s productivity. A passing sound byte from a radio also hints at how this policy measure will attract more business.

It all starts innocuously, with the sticking of signs honouring senior citizens in front of their houses, but later it also becomes an easy mechanism to identify them. But Tereza’s determination to pursue her dream turns what could have been a sombre film into a heady ride through the heart of the Amazon in rickety boats steered by men who have devised their own crazy ways of being at peace. Elements of fantasy also pop in, like a snail that leaves a blue trail (which gives the film its name), which also provides a peek into their future.

Mascaro taps into the scope for some arresting visuals which Teresa’s journey through Amazon opens up. Just like in Aise Hee, the joy of discovering the new at old age is conveyed all through Tereza’s journey in the anti-ageism film Blue Trail.