O ÚLTIMO AZUL (THE BLUE TRAIL) is a heartwarming road movie from Brazilian director and screenwriter Gabriel Mascaro, which was awarded the prestigious Silver Bear Grand Jury award at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival. The film takes us on an adventure through the Amazon in search of freedom and self-realisation, through the eyes of a 77-year-old woman.
The setting is a Brazilian dystopia where older people are removed from society at 75, to be shipped off to colonies before they become a burden on the young. They’re put in diapers whether or not it’s needed, and without considering their dignity. Anyone who looks remotely older has to show papers even to buy something in a shop, and their registered guardian must approve their every move.
Anyone resisting this social euthanasia is rounded up like a stray dog by police and strapped into a caged golf cart “wrinkle wagon” to be taken home again. Amid this dystopian atmosphere, feisty 77-year-old Tereza (Denise Weinberg) is unceremoniously sacked from her job despite being fit enough to carry on. She’s lauded for reaching this old age, but ultimately the government want to get rid of her fast. Just a few days before she is shipped off to a colony, Tereza escapes down river in search of a light aircraft and a way out of the country.
While trying to evade capture, Tereza meets various characters hustling through life as best they can, from the drug-smuggling Cadu (Rodrigo Santoro) to the bible-selling Roberta (Miriam Socarrás). Through trials and tribulations, we are reminded that older people are not incapable, slow or useless. They want the same as anybody, to live and work freely.
The tone of THE BLUE TRAIL is jovial and playful, and there’s a lot of humour in the premise. The camera captures an almost effortless reverence of the river and lush forest environments with golden sunshine, glistening water and an array of luscious foliage as the backdrop. The underlying power of this film is showing us the beauty of what we’re denying certain members of society already.
“…the dystopian aspects are so humorously and uncomfortably close to reality that we can immediately draw parallels with our current treatment of older people.”
The dystopian alternate reality hardly needs much setting up for us to connect with it because we’re already guilty of excluding others. Not just with older people, but in all kinds of ways, from not considering disabled access to marginalising those who don’t conform to the norm. With regards to ageism, though, the dystopian aspects are so humorously and uncomfortably close to reality that we can immediately draw parallels with our current treatment of older people. Even the apparent battle between generations we often see play out on social media is disturbing, especially from those who claim to want a more harmonious society.
Dignity and the desire for self-determination are at the centre of this road (river) movie, and are something all characters search for in some way. But by centring an older person, Gabriel Mascaro shows that ‘coming of age’ or self-realisation can come at any time of life. It’s never too late to change or to find a new sense of self.
Denise Weinberg’s performance draws us in with warmth and an inner determination that makes us root for her as Tereza faces a series of personal challenges, testing her inner strength. At each stage, she learns something new about herself or a practical skill she never thought possible.
O ÚLTIMO AZUL (THE BLUE TRAIL) is a sweet and remarkable adventure with a feisty woman, friendship and freedom at the centre. The setting is luscious, and the score fits the themes and the gorgeous location like a glove. Gabriel Mascaro’s inventive script asks us to see older people differently, loving them instead of patronising them, and allowing them every freedom that younger people enjoy.