Ruthersville, Brazil
Genre: Drama
Director: Alejandro G. Inarritu
Writer: Wyatt Allen
Cast: Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Wagner Moura, Alice Braga, Dustin Hoffman, Margarita Levieva
Plot:
Part I: The Richest Man Alive
The year is 1923. A man is sitting behind his desk in a big office, his face is covered by the newspaper he is reading. On the front page of that newspaper we can read the headline “Liberty Motors’ Ernest Ruthers The Richest Man Alive” there is also a picture of the mentioned Ernest Ruthers (Dustin Hoffman) with it. The man lays the newspaper down and we can see it is Ernest Ruthers, founder and CEO of Liberty Motors. He is getting interrupted by an assistant who is telling him that the price of rubber will rise once again. Ruthers keeps calm but tells his assistant that they really need to find a way to be independent from the British rubber prices. He tells his assistant that his son Eddie is already on it.
Eddie Ruthers (Adrien Brody) and his wife Violet (Margarita Levieva) are getting out of bed. Violet is making sure their two daughters are getting ready for school. Eddie is already stressed about presenting his idea to his father. He is preparing by rehearsing everything he wants to say when he finally gets the chance. Violet tells him he spends way too much time in his life trying to please his father. Eddie tells her that he is tired too of executing orders that his father or any other of the senior managers of Liberty Motors gave to him, but only a little more time until his father is stepping down and he will be in charge of the biggest company in the world.
Eddie is nervously sitting in the living room, going through key points of his idea. Rubber trees in Brazil. Possibility to find cheap land. No British government that makes horrendous prices. He checks the clock and notices that he is already running late. He quickly throws over a coat and runs to his fathers office.
Right in front of his father’s office a man exits out of it and introduces himself as Jorge da Silva (Wagner Moura) a Brazilian governor. He tells him he can’t wait to get to know him and also tells Eddie that his father Ernest Ruthers is a very smart business man. Eddie enters his father office to tell him his great solution but Ernest Ruthers tells him he has an important task for him. The governor da Silva that just had left made Ernest Ruthers an offer. There is land in Brazil that they are going to buy, the most fertile place in the world for a good price. Eddie’s idea already started to become reality before he could tell anyone. Ernest Ruthers is enthused about the idea to plant his own rubber trees. He tells Eddie about his vision. Plantations further than the eyes can see, but not enough. He wants to give back to the Brazilians because Liberty Motors cares about its employees. He wants to build accommodations, a hospital, a school, a theater – a whole town.
Eddie tells his father that he is being megalomaniac, he asks who would be dumb enough to go to Brazil and lead this project. Ernest stands up and puts his hand on Eddie’s shoulder before he tells him that he wants him to go to Brazil to lead the project. He won’t be alone there he will send some of Liberty Motors’ most skilled workers with him and Jorge da Silva promised to give some guidance. Eddie can not believe what his father wants him to do, telling him that he can’t leave his family alone and that Liberty Motors needs him here. Ernest tells him he is the only one he trusts with this big task and that this is his chance to prove that he is ready to take over the company some day. Eddie admits defeat and agrees to go to Brazil.
Eddie goes home to talk with Violet. She is not happy and can’t believe that Eddie agreed to go. Eddie says he has no choice. Violet begs him to talk to his father again so maybe he could stay but Eddie tells her there is no way his father changes his mind.
Part II: Welcome to Brazil
Eddie arrives in Brazil and is not only greeted by Jorge da Silva but also by many locals who to his surprise are excited that he is here. They have signs out of cardboard and wrote „Liberty Motors“ or „Ruthers“ on them. Eddie thanks them for their heartfelt welcome and Jorge da Silva introduces him to some of this region’s best and skilled workers who are going to help him and his father to build the town they imagined. One of them is the interpreter Luiza Magno (Alice Braga) who will be a key player in the communication between Eddie and the Brazilians. Luiza greets Eddie in perfect English but seems to be a bit skeptical of him.
On their way to take a look at the land that his father bought, he tells Luiza that he hopes the land is nice because they will spend a lot of time there. Eddie asks Luiza why the people welcome him so nicely. He thought that foreigners buying large property of land would encounter a bit more resistance. She tells him that the region is really struggling and the people are not doing well. The Brazilians know his father, his biography was translated to Portuguese and is one of the best selling books in the country. They know he is a great business man who treats his workers fair. Liberty Motors doing business in their region gives them hope that they urgently needed.
They finally arrived and Eddie is investigating the land. A lot of it is still rain forest as he acknowledges that they have to chop through a lot of wood before being able to plant any rubber trees. He also didn’t expect it to be this hilly. Da Silva lightens him up and tells him that they will soon be able to plant the first seed and it won’t take long till this town they are going to build is making Liberty Motors even more money.
A time lapse is shown where this untouched nature is slowly being formed by the workers and a hard-working but clumsy Eddie Ruthers. Luiza proves to be an important part of the crew, making the communication between Eddie and the Brazilians work flawlessly. Ships are entering the port not only transporting useful tools and materials but also American workers to the Brazilian rain forest. The American style town in the Brazilian rain forest is taking shape and a city sign is set up announcing the name of this young town – Ruthersville.
Part III: Kerosene
Even though Ruthersville has its first functional houses there is still a lot of work left to do. Huge amount of the land they own is still covered in rain forest and the plan is to chop them down and make space for the rubber trees. They were expecting a shipment of power saws and tractors from the USA but the specific time of the year makes it hard for ships to reach the riverbank and so the ships are stuck and the equipment can’t be reached. Jorge da Silva comes to the rescue by using is contacts and organizing power saws and tractors for the team.
After chopping down huge parts of the rain forest to create space for the plantations, there is still a lot of wood left. It’s wet, soft and not suitable for further processing so they don’t have any use for it and decide to burn it. The daily rainfall makes keeping the flame alive a very hard procedure. After some failed attempts Eddie has had enough and decides to use noticeable more kerosene which leads to the outbreak of a huge fire. Eddie and the team are trying to stop it but it doesn’t take long for them to give up and get themselves to safety. Shortly after the fire gets completely out of control. The flame rises over 100 feet, forcing the animals into the open, screaming in panic. Some of them make it out while others burn down with the rest of the forest. The sky is covered in smoke. Kilometers away a Brazilian local looks at the smoke from far away while ash is falling down on him.
The fire took several days until it was completely extinguished. Hundreds of hectares of the forest were burned down. This and the fact that the ships that should bring them important tools and materials were still stuck make the locals question the competence of the people working for Liberty Motors. In addition a Brazilian newspaper is passed around, reporting about Liberty Motors’ struggle in the rain forest.
The bad press even reaches Ernest Ruthers in the headquarters of Liberty Motors and he decides to send conditions to Brazil under that everyone working for Liberty Motors over there should live. No alcohol, no tobacco, no prostitution, no futbol. Nothing that would distract them doing their work. Guards were installed to monitor the newly installed rules. Despite the bad press and new rules many people still want to work for Liberty Motors so they have no problem finding enough workers. They still are struggling to produce usable rubber as they just found out that a huge chunk of their rubber trees are already infested by parasites.
Eddie gets a letter from his family informing him that they will finally move to Brazil to be with Eddie again. The morale in Ruthersville worsens. Many of the Brazilian workers only stay for a while making it hard to properly train them. The American workers struggle under the tropical conditions. The rules made by Ernest Ruthers are now fully applied but nobody seems to care. Bars and brothels are right around Ruthersville and a place were most of Ruthersville’s workers, including Eddie spend their free time.
Day has finally arrived and Eddie’s wife Violet arrives in Ruthersville accompanied by their two daughters. They embrace lovingly and Eddie shows them around while telling them a couple of stories he experienced while being here.
Part IV: Parasites and Pesticides
Luiza is a big help for Violet and her kids, showing her around Ruthersville and helping her with adjusting to her new life in Ruthersville. She is showing them the way to a little playground they just finished last month as they get interrupted by a new face.
Robert Harvey (Edward Norton) introduces himself to Luiza as a biologist and an expert on tropical regions. He demands to see Eddie Ruthers and Luiza quickly brings him to the project manager. He explains to Eddie that he was brought in to save this place from being a total disaster. Eddie doesn't like his wording and is questioning Harvey's legitimacy. Harvey suggest that Eddie shows him the plantations and the rest of Ruthersville. He notes that they will have to get to know each other pretty quick in order to co-lead this project. Co-Lead? Eddie replies with a laugh, telling Harvey that his father trusts him with Ruthersville and he would surely tell him first before making any structural changes. Robert Harvey excuses himself for a moment and looks through his suitcase that he brought with him. Shortly after, he pulls out a document that he wants Eddie to read while telling him that he is there to give Eddie the news. The document has it all written down and is signed by Ernest Ruthers. "Why didn't he tell me" Eddie says out loud, louder than he probably wanted. Eddie swallows his pride and starts to show Harvey around.
While Eddie and Robert Harvey awkwardly make their way to the plantations they don't talk much. Eddie is mustering Harvey from head to toe. Harvey seems weirdly happy to inform Eddie about a huge mistake they made. Harvey tells him they are not supposed to plant the rubber trees alone, they are supposed to grow widely spaced around other trees as this way they are better protected from parasites. It’s no wonder they haven’t gotten any usable rubber from them, says Harvey.
Luiza is noticing Eddie’s discontent with the installation of Robert Harvey as co-leader, but she ensures him the he is doing a great job under these hard conditions and his father probably thought that a biologist could be really helpful. She is advising him to see Harvey as a useful addition to the team. Eddie thanks Luiza for her reasonable thoughts and says that she is completely right but he still has a hard time accepting him as his co-leader.
In the following weeks Robert Harvey starts to settle in as Eddie’s co-leader, always being vocal when a decision is to be made. Eddie feels antagonized by it and starts to put in even more of his time into Ruthersville. Spending the days with working and the nights with drinking, he doesn’t have much time left to care for his family. While the kids go to school, Violet stays at home and is starting to feel really isolated. She is having a hard time making friends, her only friend being Luiza who is also busy working in Ruthersville.
Eddie is informed that the last rubber trees they thought to be healthy and fertile are just as infested as the other trees, which was found out by Robert Harvey. Eddie makes his way to Harvey, he sees him sitting next to his wife Violet. They are talking to each other, looking in each others eyes. A smile runs over Violet's face. For the first time in months Eddie sees his wife smiling and it's caused by his opponent. He furiously storms to them and grabs Robert Harvey by the collar, throwing him down to the muddy ground. Violet is screaming and telling Eddie to stop but after taking some punches from Eddie, Harvey is able to turn the situation and now Eddie is the one laying in the mud. He is fighting to go back on top while yelling that Harvey should go back to where he came from. Harvey although is able to held Eddie down and screams back at him: "What's your problem? I'm here to help you." Eddie calms down and Harvey lets go of Eddie who furiously steps away.
In the night Eddie sleeps uneasy. In his dreams he is looking for Robert Harvey in his house in Ruthersville he freshly moved in. Quiet noises lead him to the bedroom which he decides to enter. As he opens the door he sees Harvey passionately sleeping with Violet. While Eddie is shocked Harvey turns to him saying: "What's your problem? I'm here to help you!" while continuing to sleep with Eddie's wife. Violet doesn't even notice Eddie and begs Robert Harvey to not stop. Ernest Ruthers sits behind an office desk on the side of the room telling Eddie that Harvey is an expert in this field and Eddie can learn a lot from him. Eddie wakes up bathed in sweat, looking over to the other side of the bed where Violet is laying with her back turned against him. He is pulling out a whiskey bottle out of his bedside table and takes a sip. He is looking over reports surrounding the plantations and Ruthersville noticing that he needs another sip
The very next day he apologizes to Harvey and asks him for help. He tells him that Ruthersville needs his knowledge to be profitable in the future. Harvey thanks Eddie for his sudden change of heart and tells him he is happy to help where he can.
Part V: When It Rains It Pours
Robert Harvey is taking a sample from the ground of the plantations. The results are not promising, Harvey is sure that the ground makes it hard to plant rubber trees. He is sharing the results with Eddie who doesn't look like he can cope with another setback, but sadly Luiza comes in reporting them about a couple of malaria diseases in Ruthersville.
A document signed by Ernest Ruthers reaches the camp. In this he is announcing new regulations for life in Ruthersville. The workers are supposed to life an American life. Work the regular American work hours and not whenever they feel like it. Eat American canned food brought from the supply ships. Eddie is clearly against it but the guards inform him that they take orders from his father not from him. Eddie is writing a letter to his father asking for more relaxed rules and also a shipment of antimalarials and other medications for the treatment of their sick.
Governor Jorge da Silva is doing his regular visit and checking in on the people in Ruthersville. Da Silva is suggesting Eddie that he has to treat the Brazilians a bit more looser. All this strict rules are not working over here. Eddie knows da Silva is right but his hands are tied. When da Silva continues to talk to the Brazilians, Harvey comes over to talk to Eddie. He is asking if he ever thought about da Silva setting him and his father up for failure. They both look at da Silva laughing with some Brazilian workers. Harvey's theory is that da Silva knew that the project would not work and tried to make as much money as possible off of them. Da Silva tricked Ernest Ruthers into buying land that wasn't suitable for planting rubber trees. The only ones who are profiting are da Silva and the Brazilians.
A couple days later Luiza is accompanying a couple of Brazilian workers on their way to Eddie. She is telling Eddie that they want to talk with him and she will translate. Eddie tells them he doesn't have time right now. But Luiza ensures him it's important. Eddie is informed that they will start a labor strike if the conditions don't get better. Eddie tries to calm them down saying that he will find a way to better the conditions but they have to be a bit patient. Eddie writes another letter trying to reach his father even though he still hasn’t heard back from the last one.
Later that day Eddie is confronted by Violet. Who says that they really need to talk. Violet tells him that Ruthersville is a terrible place for their family and she is scared of them getting malaria. Eddie promises that the situation will get better, explaining that the malaria pandemic is already fading away. He tells her that their home is now Ruthersville until his father calls him back. Violet can not understand Eddie's obsession with satisfying his father. Saying that he is a psychopath for putting his father's wishes on top of everything in their life. She tells him that his father doesn’t even care about him, asking Eddie if Ernest Ruthers has ever visited Ruthersville, knowing the answer is no. She theorizes that his father just wanted him gone because he was sick of Eddie. Eddie is visibly affected by those words and slaps Violet in the face. He is quickly apologizing to her but the damage is already done.
Eddie and Violet don’t seem to talk anymore and Eddie reaches for the bottle even more frequently. The stress is getting to him, his father still hasn’t answered to any of his letters. After not feeling like anything has changed the Brazilian workers decide to go on a labor strike, working really slowly or even completely stopping the work. This doesn’t help Eddie’s mental condition as he still has no idea how to satisfy the Brazilians and calm them down. He spends the whole day talking and looking for ideas together with Harvey and Jorge da Silva who has heard about the strike and wanted to help them. At the end of the night they have a list of things they wanted to change to accommodate to the Brazilians. They are going to present their ideas the next morning.
Eddie is entering his house wanting to go to sleep, but he is noticing the house is empty. Violet and the kids are gone taking some of their things with them. Luiza is knocking on the door while already entering it. She must have saw Eddie going home and is confirming to him that they are gone. She tells him that she brought them to the harbor and they are now on their way back to the USA. Eddie is sitting down on the bed he once shared with Violet, while reaching for the whiskey bottle in his bedside table. He asks Luiza to sit down next to him, keeping him company. Luiza is slightly touching his shoulder trying to express her compassion for Eddie’s situation. Suddenly Eddie kisses Luiza who doesn’t look like she wants that but Eddie doesn’t stop. Pushing her down on the bed laying over her. Luiza tells him to stop but he doesn’t listen. Eddie tells her that she is the only one left that he trusts. Luiza finally can push Eddie off and quickly leaves his house under tears.
Eddie drunk himself to sleep and the next morning he is woken up by loud noises coming from the outside. The labor strike is getting out of control. The workers are destroying Ruthersville, burning down the plantations, throwing working tools into the windows. For the second time in Ruthersville short history the place is covered in flames. Eddie, Robert Harvey and the rest of the Americans are fleeing from their houses and now are fortifying themselves in the big fabric that hasn’t been used yet. They will have to endure until the danger settles down as they are largely outnumbered. Once again a whiskey bottle is passed around to numb any feeling. Eddie is apathetically starring into nothing while taking sip after sip. Harvey once again tells Eddie and the rest that Jorge da Silva is the one setting them up for failure. He is also sure that he is the one behind all of this. After hours of waiting in fear in the fabric, someone is knocking on the barricaded door and a voice they know is telling them that it’s safe now. It’s the voice of Jorge da Silva. The Americans clear the door while Eddie doesn’t react at all. Jorge da Silva and the Brazilian police enter the building. Da Silva is looking for Eddie Ruthers. He sees him still sitting down, goes up to him and tells him that his father will be ashamed if he hears what has happened to his vision. Eddie stands up and punches Jorge da Silva in the face, while falling down with him because he is too drunk to stay on his feet. The Brazilian police quickly arrest Eddie Ruthers while the others are checking on Jorge da Silva, who tells them not to hurt Ruthers.
A couple months later in a Brazilian prison. Eddie Ruthers is sitting behind bars, a prison guard opens his cell telling him he is lucky that his father has this much influence and he is now free to go home. A car from Liberty Motors with Robert Harvey inside of it is already waiting on him to bring him home. On their drive Eddie notices that this is not the way to Ruthersville, which Harvey says is right. Harvey tells him he is not going back to Ruthersville as Harvey will drive him to the harbor. Eddie stays silent, accepting his failure.
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