Filmmaker Anna Muylaert (The Second Mother, Festival 2015) is known for her empathetic portraits of Brazilian women working hard to provide for their families and improve their own personal circumstances. In her latest film, trash collector Gal (Shirley Cruz) flees an abusive relationship and takes to the streets with her two kids and the pushcart that is her livelihood. Pretending they are on a grand adventure in the streets of São Paulo rather than confront her children with the reality of being homeless, Gal attempts to bring a spirit of playfulness to a dire situation. Muylaert brings her characteristic compassion to the fore, heightened by Cruz’s textured performance that blends the levity of the family splashing around in a public fountain with the pathos of a middle-aged woman facing a difficult path ahead. Actor-musician Seu Jorge is similarly memorable as the brutish Leandro.—Rod Armstrong