Of Cattle and Men

by Ana Paula Maia · 2023

In an isolated, impoverished corner of Brazil, a slaughterhouse becomes a crucible of madness. Edgar Wilson, the stun operator at Mr. Milo’s facility, repeatedly stuns cows, trying to keep the animals calm as they grow increasingly agitated. Cows bolt into barns, plunge off cliffs, and the surrounding men—foreman Bronco Gil, among others—are driven to accidental and intentional deaths. The river runs septic with blood, and a bleak, Cormac‑McCarthy‑like landscape frames a story of animal cruelty, human violence, and the thin line between order and chaos.