The Hunger Artist

FREQUENTLY CREDITED AS THE IGNITER OF CINEMA NOVO AND A PIVOTAL FIGURE in Latin American filmmaking, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, who died this past spring at 89, was above all else a masterful interpreter of human behavior. Among the rare class of directors whose dramas were as poignant as his dark comedies were uproariously funny, he created works that defied social and aesthetic conventions while also commenting upon them.

Born in São Paulo in 1928, dos Santos was a lifelong cinephile. This love was imparted to him by his mother, who would take him on daily post-lunch marathons at the theater across the street from their house with the caveat: “Whoever does not eat everything does not go to the movies.” At the