O Pagador de Promessas

O Pagador de Promessas Portuguese pronunciationu paado di pomss , Keeper of Promises is a 1962 Brazilian drama film directed by Anselmo Duarte. Duarte adapted the screenplay himself from the famous stage play written by Dias Gomes. Shot in Salvador, Bahia, it stars Leonardo Villar.

Z do Burro Leonardo Villar is a landowner from Nordeste. His best friend is a donkey. When his donkey falls terminally ill, Z promises to a Candombl orisha, Iansan, that if his donkey recovers, he will give away his land to the poor and carry a cross all the way from his farm to the Saint Brbara Church in Salvador, Bahia, where he will offer the cross to the local priest. Upon the recovery of his donkey, Z leaves on his journey. The movie begins as Z, followed by his wife Rosa Glria Menezes, arrives outside the church. The local priest Dionsio Azevedo refuses to accept the cross once he hears about Zs pagan pledge and the reasons behind it. Everyone attempts to manipulate the innocent and nave Z. The local Candombl worshippers, for example, want to use him as a leader against the discrimination they suffer from the Roman Catholic Church. The sensationalist newspapers transform his promise to give away his land into a communist call for land reform which still is a very controversial issue in Brazil. When Z is shot by the police to prevent his way into the church, the Candombl worshippers put his dead body on the cross and force their way into the church.

Source: Wikipedia