Film Analysis of Anthropophagy in Nelson Pereira dos Santos's Film "How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman"

Abstract

Nelson Pereira dos Santos’s film, Como Era Gostoso o Meu Francês (How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman) provides a darkly humorous narrative that explores the clash of cultures and colonization by highlighting the practice of anthropophagy. Through a feminist oppositional reading and postcolonial lens, I focus on Sebiopepe, the central female protagonist of My Little Frenchman (MLF). In my interpretation of her narrative, I explore how the film’s highly creative considerations of discourses on gender, race, and identity constitute a basis for present-day critical reflections on patriarchal and neo-colonial power. I conclude with suggestions on ways in which an oppositional reading of film can elicit reflexivity on the complexities and power dynamics in portrayals of gender, love, and others in visual culture.