On Behalf of My Son

Drama

Programme: Platform
Year: 2026
Runtime: 148 min
Country: Brazil
Language: Portuguese
Premiere: World Premiere

Vicentina struggles to cope with the death of her son Wesley after a tragic bus accident, in which he was the driver. As the investigation unfolds, evidence suggests that Wesley’s actions may have been suicidal. Vicentina then embarks on a journey to seek out the victims’ families and apologize, while confronting her own grief and uncertainty.

From the TIFF programme

Anchored by a deeply affecting performance from Rejane Faria, Gabriel Martins’ moving drama follows a grieving mother seeking forgiveness from the families of a tragic bus accident. What unfolds is a profound meditation on guilt and whether forgiveness is possible.

Featuring a standout, affecting turn from Rejane Faria, Gabriel Martins’ compassionate drama is a moving meditation on guilt, grief, and the elusive possibility of forgiveness. With remarkable feeling and restraint, the film explores the devastating aftermath of tragedy, asking whether redemption can ever ease the weight of unbearable loss.

The story begins with a shocking accident: a public transit bus plunges from a bridge, claiming multiple lives. In the wake of the disaster, Vicentina (Faria), the mother of the driver, is consumed by the fear that her son may have deliberately caused the crash. Determined to confront the consequences of what happened, she embarks on a difficult journey to meet the victims’ families, seeking forgiveness while searching for answers that may never come.

Faria delivers a performance of extraordinary depth and understated resilience. She inhabits Vicentina with profound empathy, conveying immense sorrow without ever surrendering her character’s dignity or determination. Every encounter and every mile travelled carries the weight of a woman trying to survive an impossible burden.

Leonardo Feliciano’s cinematography heightens the film’s intimacy, capturing grief in all its subtle, shifting forms while immersing viewers in Vicentina’s emotional landscape. Following his acclaimed Mars One, Brazil’s official submission to the Academy Awards in 2023, Martins takes another significant step as a filmmaker. With tenderness and honesty, he crafts a humane portrait of mourning, revealing how loss transforms lives while leaving just enough room for hope to emerge from even the darkest moments.

DIANA CADAVID

Content advisory: accident trauma, self-harm, coarse language, mature themes