Brazilian horror film Hard Labor gets a poster and new trailer

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

When we previously reported on the fact that Brazilian "domestic horror film" HARD LABOR (a.k.a. TRABALHAR CANSA) will soon be reaching U.S. theatres, the only trailer we had to choose from was one that hit the internets in 2011, when the movie was set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. To promote its upcoming release, distributor Cinema Slate has now put together a new trailer and a poster for the film, both of which can be seen below.

Directed by Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra, HARD LABOR tells the following story: 

Although emotionally in sync, Helena (Helena Albergaria) and her white-collar husband Otavio (Marat Descartes), suddenly find themselves at opposite ends of the labor force: just as she gets ready to open a grocery store (and become a business owner), he is fired from a “stable” job.

As Otávio goes through a series of humiliating and ego-crushing job interviews (and is forced to re-invent himself for a new job market), Helena jumpstarts her grocery store in a mysterious (and progressively deteriorating) building. Soon enough, her enthusiasm for a better future begins to give way to a dark, pervasive doom – and Otávio’s self-upgrading morphs into an eerie transformation.

HARD LABOR opens on October 30th at New York's Cinema Village, and will gradually expand to other theatres in the country. If you are a theatre owner and would like to book the film, you can do so at CinemaSlate.com.

I am very intrigued by this one. Present me with a Brazilian horror movie and compare it to THE SHINING and you have me wishing I could watch it right now. It definitely looks like it takes the "slow burn" approach, but I'm interested in finding out what's going on with things like that seeping black goo and the ominous presence of the sledgehammer.