O Pagador de Promessas

O Pagador de Promessas (Portuguese pronunciation: [u paɡaˈdoʁ dʒi pɾoˈmɛsɐs], Keeper of Promises) is a 1962 Brazilian drama film written and directed by Anselmo Duarte, based on the famous stage play of the same name by Dias Gomes. Shot in Salvador, Bahia, it stars Leonardo Villar.

O Pagador de Promessas
Original poster in Portuguese
Directed by	Anselmo Duarte
Written by	Anselmo Duarte
Based on	O Pagador de Promessas by Dias Gomes
Produced by	Oswaldo Massaini
Starring	Leonardo Villar Glória Menezes Norma Bengell Dionísio Azevedo
Cinematography	H. E. Fowle
Edited by	Carlos Coimbra
Music by	Gabriel Migliori
Production company	Cinedistri
Distributed by	Cinedistri Embrafilme
Release date	August 6, 1962 (1962-08-06)
Running time	91 minutes
Country	Brazil
Language	Portuguese

The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first film by a Brazilian director to achieve that feat. A year later, it also became the first Brazilian and South American film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In 2015, the Brazilian Film Critics Association aka Abraccine voted Keeper of Promises the 9th greatest Brazilian film of all time, in its list of the 100 best Brazilian films.

Plot

The film revolves around Zé do Burro (Zé the Donkey), a poor peasant who embarks on a deeply spiritual and physical journey to fulfill a sacred promise, or vow (promessa), that he made to the gods. Zé, a simple man with strong religious faith, made this promise under desperate circumstances in the hope of saving his beloved donkey.

Background: The Promise

Zé and his wife, Rosa, live in the rural countryside. Zé's donkey, a vital part of his livelihood, becomes seriously ill. Fearing the loss of the animal that is crucial to his work, Zé, despite being a devout Catholic, makes a syncretic vow at a terreiro (a place of Afro-Brazilian religious worship), promising to Saint Barbara—who, in syncretic Afro-Brazilian religions like Candomblé, is also associated with the African deity Iansã—that if his donkey recovers, he will carry a large wooden cross from his home to the Church of Saint Barbara in Salvador, Bahia.

Miraculously, the donkey survives, and Zé, feeling bound by his vow, embarks on his long pilgrimage, carrying a heavy cross over his shoulders like Jesus. His wife Rosa reluctantly joins him, even though she doesn’t fully believe in his quest. Zé’s promise, rooted in sincere devotion, is about fulfilling what he believes is his obligation to Saint Barbara.

Arrival at the Church

Zé finally arrives in Salvador with his cross, exhausted but determined. He heads to the Church of Saint Barbara to fulfill his vow by placing the cross in front of the altar, expecting a simple gesture of thanks and devotion. However, his plans take an unexpected turn when he meets Father Olavo, the parish priest of the church.

Father Olavo immediately takes issue with Zé's vow, refusing him entry to the church. The priest is suspicious of the fact that Zé made his vow at a Candomblé terreiro rather than within a strictly Catholic setting. From the priest’s perspective, Zé's promise mixes pagan and Catholic beliefs, which Olavo views as blasphemous. The church represents the institutional rigidity of the Catholic hierarchy, which refuses to accommodate or recognize Zé’s syncretic faith.

Conflict and Tensions

Zé is bewildered and devastated by the priest's refusal. He cannot understand why his sincere vow, made in desperation and faith, is being rejected by the very church dedicated to the saint he wishes to honor. As he persists in trying to fulfill his promise, Zé becomes a figure of public curiosity and controversy. The once personal and humble act of devotion begins to spiral out of control, attracting attention from different quarters.

• Rosa becomes increasingly frustrated by Zé's obsession with fulfilling the promise, as she feels he is being humiliated. She also catches the attention of a local pimp named Bonitão, who tries to seduce her, adding tension to her relationship with Zé.
• The local media sensationalizes the story, portraying Zé as either a saintly figure or a foolish fanatic, depending on the perspective.
• Political and social activists see Zé as a potential martyr or symbol of resistance against the powerful Catholic Church and institutional authority. They try to manipulate his story to serve their own causes, turning Zé into an unwitting symbol for social protest.

The churchyard becomes the stage for a gathering of various factions, and Zé’s personal act of faith transforms into a public spectacle. The crowds grow larger as people debate whether Zé should be allowed to enter the church. Some see him as a true man of faith, while others mock him as naïve.

Zé’s Growing Desperation

As days pass and Zé remains in front of the church, holding his cross and begging to be allowed inside, his physical and mental state deteriorates. His devotion to his promise turns into an all-consuming obsession. The tension between his humble piety and the institutional inflexibility of the church grows more tragic as Zé becomes increasingly isolated.

Zé is not interested in politics or social causes—he is simply a man trying to do what he believes is right by fulfilling his promise to God. Yet, he finds himself caught in a complex web of social, religious, and political conflicts that he cannot control or understand.

The Tragic Climax

Despite his determination, Zé’s plea is never accepted by the church. Father Olavo remains adamant in his refusal, and Zé, now desperate, tries to force his way into the church. His once-peaceful mission culminates in a dramatic and violent confrontation.

In a tragic twist, as Zé attempts to storm the church with his cross, he is shot and killed by the police. The peaceful, devout man, who only wanted to keep his promise, dies in the chaos created by a rigid system that could not accommodate his faith or understand the depth of his devotion.

Conclusion

Zé’s death sends shockwaves through the crowd, and his body is taken into the church—finally entering the place he had longed to reach, but only in death. The film ends on a deeply somber note, reflecting the bitter irony of Zé’s journey: the man who was barred from the church in life is carried into it as a martyr in death.

Main cast

• Leonardo Villar as Zé do Burro (Donkey Jack)
• Glória Menezes as Rosa, Zé's wife
• Dionísio Azevedo as Olavo, the priest
• Geraldo Del Rey as Bonitão (Handsome), a pimp
• Norma Bengell as Marly, a prostitute
• Othon Bastos as the Reporter
• Antônio Pitanga as Coca, the capoeira player

Themes

• Religious Syncretism vs. Orthodoxy: The film highlights the tension between Brazil's syncretic religious traditions, such as Candomblé, which blend African deities with Catholic saints, and the rigid orthodoxy of the Catholic Church.
• Faith and Devotion: Zé’s unshakable faith is central to the story. His innocence and devotion clash with the formalism and bureaucracy of institutional religion, showing how individual faith can be misunderstood or rejected by established systems.
• Social Critique: The film also touches on social issues like poverty, inequality, and the manipulation of ordinary people by larger social forces, including the media and political movements.
• Tragedy of Innocence: Zé is a tragic figure whose simplicity and sincerity are crushed by the weight of institutional authority and societal complexities.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

• Best Foreign Language Film (nominated)

Cannes Film Festival

• Palme d'Or – Anselmo Duarte (won)

Cartagena Film Festival

• Special Jury Prize – Anselmo Duarte (won)

San Francisco International Film Festival

• Golden Gate Award for Best Film – Anselmo Duarte (won)
• Golden Gate Award for Best Musical Score – Gabriel Migliori (won)

See also

• List of submissions to the 35th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Brazilian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

External links

• O Pagador de Promessas at IMDb
• O Pagador de Promessas at AllMovie