‘Rebirth': A Watershed That Transcends Generations

By Bruno Luperi

Bringing the remake of 'Rebirth' to Globo was something very special. I had a deal with myself and my wife to move forward and not work on another adaptation from my grandfather, Benedito Rui Barbosa. And then the phone rang. When I received the invitation, I couldn't refuse; I couldn't say no. It didn't take a second for me to contradict myself and accept.

Undoubtedly, taking the lead of this new version is a huge challenge, perhaps because I consider it his masterpiece. I consider 'Rebirth' the telenovela where he was the happiest as a writer and playwright. Adapting it is a responsibility that I find even greater than 'Pantanal'. 'Rebirth' marked my grandfather's return to Globo. It holds immense symbolism for his history, his legacy, and the direction our family took.

It's an indescribable joy; it means, once again, being able to access and relate to a side of him, my grandfather, that few people had the chance to see. He was a man who worked a lot alone and very intensely. Working with him was a joy that my mother and godmother had, my cousin had too, and I am having it in a way. He is no longer in condition to work today, but in one way or another, destiny has reserved this privilege for me to be part of two works that I think he was at his best. All these exchanges are very good, very enriching for me.

Inspiration

If today I am so deeply connected to my craft, it is bacause of 'Rebirth'. Rewriting this telenovela is also a way to connect with Benedito. My grandmother always said that my grandfather didn't live our family, he lived the characters. So, being able to relate to his work for the second time, first in 'Pantanal' and now in 'Rebirth', is somehow also visiting my grandfather, getting to know a man I didn't know. Getting to know an aspect of my grandfather that I didn't have the honor of knowing because he was there living this life, living these characters.

Changes in the Plot

Compared to the first telenovela, the new version of 'Rebirth' moves forward 30 years. Just like in 'Pantanal', the idea is to bring contemporaneity into the plot. There will be some changes, but always respecting the central plot and the emotional memory. This is because the production also has to be coherent with its time.

As we move 30 years forward, the witch's broom appears in our first phase, significantly determining the course of the plot. It arrives as the breath of a plague, destined to end the cocoa culture in southern Bahia as it spread and established itself there. So, more scenery was needed to bring this to life, and the help of other characters was also needed. This is where Maria Fernanda Candido comes in as the widow Candida, owner of a farm on the brink of bankruptcy, who resists selling it to the local colonels and hands it over to José Inocêncio. Colonel Firmino emerges, played by Enrique Diaz, another great villain.

In the second phase, one of the changes involves the character Buba, played by Gabriela Medeiros, who was intersex before and is now trans. Buba being intersex in the first version was a very well-established and well-placed issue that brought many advances. The need for a new take on that, given today's scenario, in my view, proved to be important. The idea is not to remove an issue, but to add new layers and bring the subject of diversity, the subject of gender from a new perspective that allows more discussions to be held.

The proposal is to retell that story, but for that to happen, some things have to change. Some storylines undergo significant changes, while others remain very similar. The idea is to tell the saga of a man who anchored his soul at the foot of the jequitibá tree and made a promise that as long as that machete was stuck there, neither he nor the jequitibá would die. And he ends up becoming a prisoner of this promise.

Advice from My Grandfather

Even though it is a tribute to Benedito Ruy Barbosa's work, of course, I have my creative freedom. I clearly remember a piece of advice I received from my grandfather during 'Pantanal'. Early on, he said: "Do what I would do, take it and make it yours too, otherwise you won't be able to do anything."

In fact, I used to take my texts to my grandfather. I will never forget this: taking my work to the man who is your greatest reference, and also your grandfather, and the person whom you admire the most, it moved me a lot, generated a lot of expectation and he used to say: "Wow, this part is actually good. I would do it differently, but you did it this way, you went there and it will work, I understand where you are going. Go the way you are thinking." I think it was a lesson he gave me there, that it's no use trying to write for another person. And I will carry that for my life and my career, without a doubt.

* Bruno Luperi is the author of the new version of the telenovela 'Rebirth' and grandson of Benedito Ruy Barbosa, the author of the original plot in 1993.