The First Death of Joana

Completed202191 min

Joana is thirteen when the death of her great-aunt prompts a question she cannot easily put aside: why does everyone assume that the older woman…Read more +Read less −

Joana is thirteen when the death of her great-aunt prompts a question she cannot easily put aside: why does everyone assume that the older woman lived without romance? With her friend Carolina, she begins looking for an answer in the stories and silences of the women around her. The investigation makes familiar family rules seem less natural, while Joana’s own feelings for Carolina become harder to ignore. Set during a summer in southern Brazil, Cristiane Oliveira’s coming-of-age drama follows a young protagonist discovering how much can remain unspoken inside an ordinary household, and how asking about another woman’s life can begin to change the way she understands her own.

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Drama

Sapphic characters & cast

Letícia Kacperski

as Joana

Main sapphic character

Isabela Bressane

as Carolina

Main sapphic character

YOUR FIRST LOOK

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Details & credits

Country: Brazil, France
Language: Portuguese
Premiere: 2021-01-18
Runtime: 91 minutes
Director: Cristiane Oliveira

Official film provider/distributor key art; designer not supplied

Artwork source & permission status

Editorial review approved — rights not independently confirmed

Official film provider/distributor key art; designer not supplied

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Sources & editorial notes (6)

Last researched 2026-10-28. Editorially approved.

year: Distributor / filmmaker / festival source
genres: Exact full-feature provider metadata and credits
status: Distributor / filmmaker / festival source
country: Version-specific technical metadata
language: Version-specific technical metadata
directors: Distributor / filmmaker / festival source
description: Meaningful sapphic protagonist / relationship evidence
trailer url: Official embedded trailer or exact preview
watch links: Official full-film viewing destination
western cast: Exact full-feature provider metadata and credits
premiere date: Exact full-feature provider metadata and credits
runtime minutes: Exact full-feature provider metadata and credits
classification note: Meaningful sapphic protagonist / relationship evidence
representation type: Meaningful sapphic protagonist / relationship evidence