“Like cinema, friendship is a sculpture in time,” says Cao Guimarães. The people with whom the Brazilian artist and filmmaker has maintained relationships for decades, like himself, have dedicated their lives to the arts. This means that the line between film and friendship is sometimes blurred. He realizes this when he and his regular cameraman embark on a three-day, three-night road trip from Belo Horizonte to Montevideo. But the overlap between art and life becomes even more apparent when the COVID pandemic makes physical meetings impossible and all contact takes place artificially on screens.

Friendship is a mosaic of domestic moments that form the creative layers of Guimarães’ work. They are recorded in a variety of formats, from Super8 and 35mm film to cassettes and old answering machine tapes. These audiovisual doodles are sometimes poetic, sometimes banal, and sometimes profound, sad or joyful. Above all, they are a celebration of spending time together and growing old.”