Pantanal (2022) is a 167-episode epic by Bruno Luperi, reimagining his grandfather Benedito Ruy Barbosa’s iconic 1990 classic with sweeping scale and a modern pulse. Set in the flooded wilds of Mato Grosso, the story blends family legacy, raw nature, and a touch of myth into something that feels both grounded and quietly supernatural.
The journey begins with Jove (Jesuíta Barbosa), a city-raised outsider from Rio, arriving in the wetlands to meet his father, José Leôncio (Marcos Palmeira) – a powerful rancher known as the “King of the Pantanal.” Their relationship is all friction at first, a clash between intellect and instinct, asphalt and mud. But the land has its own way of reshaping people.
Especially when love enters the picture.
Jove falls for Juma Marruá (Alanis Guillen), a fierce, almost feral young woman who lives off the grid and carries a chilling legend – that she can transform into a jaguar when threatened, just like her mother. Hovering over it all is the enigmatic Old Man of the River (Osmar Prado), a guardian figure tied to the land itself, rumored to become a giant anaconda to protect the ecosystem.
In the Pantanal, nature isn’t the backdrop.
It’s the main character.
With its breathtaking cinematography and massive cultural impact, Pantanal leans into big themes – environmental preservation, the tension between agribusiness and the wild, and the emotional evolution of a man raised to be unbreakable. It’s a story where love softens, myths linger, and survival depends on one simple rule: respect the land, or be swallowed by it.
Based on: Pantanal (1990)
