Character Relationship Map: Bacurau

Characters

• Teresa (played by Bárbara Colen) — protagonist

  A young woman who returns to her impoverished hometown for her grandmother Carmelita's funeral to deliver medicine. She is Pacote's former lover and plays a central role when the village is attacked,...

• Pacote (played by Thomás Aquino) — protagonist

  Teresa's former lover who actively organizes the local defense. He seeks out Lunga, a revolutionary sheltered by the community, and convinces him to join the armed resistance against the foreign hunte...

• Lunga (played by Silvero Pereira) — supporting

  A revolutionary figure who is initially sheltered by the townspeople. After being recruited by Pacote, he joins the community's fight to defend Bacurau against the invading foreign hunters.

• Michael (played by Udo Kier) — supporting

  The leader of a group of mostly American foreign hunters. A German expatriate who initially clashes with locals over hunting points, he is eventually captured by the townspeople and buried alive in an...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Teresa → Pacote (Romantic Former Lovers) — Their past romantic relationship remains relevant to their cooperation during the attack.

  The plot explicitly identifies Pacote as Teresa's former lover.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Michael → Lunga (Conflict Enemy) — Michael's group becomes the direct enemy of Lunga's revolutionary resistance.

  Lunga joins the fight against the foreign hunters led by Michael.

• Michael → Pacote (Conflict Enemy) — They stand on opposing sides of the central armed conflict.

  Pacote organizes the local defense against the foreigners, while Michael leads those foreign hunters.

• Michael → Teresa (Conflict Enemy) — Michael's hunting operation directly threatens Teresa's community.

  Michael leads the foreign hunters who attack Bacurau, and Teresa helps the residents fight them.

• Teresa → Lunga (Alliance Resistance Allies) — Both participate in Bacurau's collective defense.

  Lunga joins the community's fight, while Teresa helps the residents arm themselves and fight against the attackers.

• Pacote → Lunga (Alliance Revolutionary Allies) — Pacote recruits Lunga into the armed defense of Bacurau.

  Pacote seeks out Lunga and convinces him to join the fight against the foreigners.

Story Analysis

An isolated community transforms from a neglected settlement into a united armed resistance against an organized foreign hunting operation.

Plot Progression

1. A Funeral Returns Teresa Home — Teresa returns to Bacurau for Carmelita's funeral and brings medicine. The community's fragile daily life is established alongside signs of social and political neglect.
2. Water, Silence, And Suspicion — The settlement suffers from a water dispute and receives an inadequate political visit. The tanker arrives damaged while the town disappears from digital maps and loses communications.
3. Murder Reveals The Hunt — A horse stampede leads investigators to a murdered farm. The violent motorcycle encounter exposes the foreign hunters' grotesque points-based killing game.
4. Bacurau Takes Up Arms — The foreign hunters begin targeting the townspeople. Pacote recruits Lunga, and the residents organize an armed defense after further violence and a blackout.
5. The Hunters Are Hunted — Bacurau's residents gradually overpower the foreigners and capture Michael. The political authority connected to the operation is exposed and punished.