Não devore meu coração!

Don't Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl!

Generation 14plus 2017

“When I go to sleep, I see her. When I open my eyes, I see her. When I draw in my notebook, I draw her. When I get in the shower, I see images of her.”

Thick fog lies over the Rio Apa, the river that runs between Brazil and Paraguay. The bodies of dead men float downstream. But the 13-year-old Joca is in love with the mysterious alligator girl Basano of the Guaraní people, who lives on the opposite shore. But it is not only the river that separates the young Brazilian from his first love: There are also scars from the past, battles between the rival biker gangs: Joca's older brother, a reluctant gangster, and Basano's cousin, who wants her for himself. Set to the sounds of revving engines in the diffuse light of the swamps, Bragança portrays the attitudes and lives of a fearless generation in a modern Romeo and Juliet story.

by Felipe Bragança (Written and Directed by)
with Eduardo Macedo, Adeli Gonzales, Cauã Reymond, Zahy Guajajara, Cláudia Assunção, Marco Lóris, Márcio Verón, Leopoldo Pacheco, Ney Matogrosso Brazil / Netherlands / France 2017 Portuguese, Spanish, Guarani 108' Colour

With

Eduardo Macedo (Joca)
Adeli Gonzales (Basano La Tatuada)
Cauã Reymond (Fernando)
Zahy Guajajara (Lucía)
Cláudia Assunção (Joana)
Marco Lóris (Telecath)
Márcio Verón (Alberto)
Leopoldo Pacheco (César)
Ney Matogrosso (Mago)

Crew

Written and Directed by	Felipe Bragança
Cinematography	Glauco Firpo
Editing	Jon Kadocsa
Music	Baris Akardere
Sound Design	Fernando Henna, Daniel Turini
Sound	Marcos Lopes
Production Design	Dina Salem Levy
Costumes	Ana Carolina Lopes
Make-Up	Tati Chaves
Casting	Giovani Barros
Assistant Director	Thiago Brito
Production Managers	Eliane Ferreira, Marina Meliande
Producers	Marina Meliande, Marcos Prado
Co-Producers	Raymond Van Der Kaaij, Dijana Olcay-Hot, Yohann Cornu, Cauã Reymond, Mario Canivello
Co-Production	Revolver Amsterdam Amsterdam Damned Films Paris Globo Filmes Rio de Janeiro Canal Brasil Rio de Janeiro

World Sales

Mundial

Los Angeles, USA

Produced by

Duas Mariola

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Felipe M. Bragança

Felipe M. Bragança is a filmmaker whose work is deeply rooted in Brazilian culture and historical memory, exploring its many layers using a distinctive form of magical realism. His films have been screened at festivals such as the Berlinale, Cannes, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Locarno, and Sundance. Retrospectives of his work have been held at Jeu de Paume, California Institute of the Arts, Arsenal, and Wolf Kino. Bragança is currently developing a new adaptation of the Brazilian modernist classic Macunaíma by Mário de Andrade, which will be his fifth feature film. He has already been part of the Forum Expanded program with the films Fernando Que Ganhou Um Pássaro do Mar (with Helvécio Marins Jr., 2013) and Escape from my eyes (2015).

Filmography (selection)

2003 Por dentro de uma gota dágua (Waterbound) 2004 O nome dele (o clóvis) (His Name (the Clown)) 2006 Jonas e a baleia (Jonah and the Whale) 2009 A fuga da mulher gorila (Escape of the Monkey Woman) 2010 A alegria (The Joy) · Desassossego (filme das maravilhas) (Neverquiet (Film of Wonders)) 2012 Zahy 2013 Fernando que ganhou um pássaro do mar (Fernando Who Received A Bird From The Sea) · Claun 2015 Fuja dos meus olhos (Escape From My Eyes) 2017 Não devore meu coração! (Don't Swallow My Heart, Alligator Girl!) 2019 Tragam-me a cabeça de Carmen M. (Bring Me the Head of Carmen M.) · Um Animal Amarelo (A Yellow Animal) 2025 Zizi (ou oração da jaca fabulosa)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2025