Bruno Gularte Barreto grew up in Dom Pedrito, a town in the far south of Brazil. His mother died when he was eight, and his father five years after her. Twenty years later, now a photographer and filmmaker, Barreto returns to the place where he left his childhood memories—stored in a few old boxes in his grandfather’s shed.
5 Houses is a portrait of five people who were important to the filmmaker when he was a child. Apart from a few childhood photos, he himself remains out of the picture. He visits a teacher who used to take care of him, and a gay childhood friend. Their combined stories—about exclusion and terror, but also love—paint a portrait of a small, somewhat oppressive community and a boy who lost his sense of security within it, despite the help he was offered. In his wistful look at the past, Barreto transcends his personal experiences; anyone can identify with his bittersweet journey.