AllMovie

Brazilian director Glauber Rocha was only twenty years old when he made the interesting but uneven Barravento, his first film, and it already shows his interest in ritual and lower-class minorities. In this instance, the spotlight is on the lives of fishermen with more African than European blood in their veins -- and in their culture. Their overseers are the opposite, and thus arises the nearly universal problem of white exploitation of a black, minority cultural group. Aside from the political issues involved, there is a lot of colorful dancing -- a hallmark of Brazil -- and a glimpse at macumba rituals.