In the midst of fantastic and surreal images and sounds, “Placenta” follows the wanderings of a Little White Riding Hood of sorts through the forest where she lives, in a hut inhabited by Our Lady of Fátima, Evgueni Mouravitch's voice and Beethoven's music. Gradually, the child realises that she might not be alone. In biology, the placenta is an organ from which the umbilical cord arises and that establishes the communication between the foetus's circulatory system and the mother's. In this story, the main character seems to be looking for that lost connection that both seduces and haunts her. The child collects the pieces of this mysterious puzzle, composed of images and sounds, sometimes more realistic, others more other-worldly, with layers full of subjective and complicated meanings. Written and directed by Paulo Lima, this film marks his promising debut at Curtas. (PC)