Ariano Suassuna

The lively João Grilo and the sly Chicó are poor guys living in the hinterland who cheat a bunch of people in a small Northeast Brazil town. But when they die, they have to be judged by Christ, the Devil and the Virgin Mary, before they are admitted to paradise. (imdb)

The Brazilian back lands. Quaderna, an old clown and bard, narrates, from his cart in the middle of the street, the History of his Family, a bloody saga of Kings, Bandits, Mystics and Backlands Poets. Among his tragic-comic memories is the arrival of the Judge, a powerful Inquisitor from the coast, who summons him for an inquiry in which he is the suspect in the murder of his Goodfather and accused of taking part in a popular revolution. (imdb)

In the small town of Taperoá, João Grilo and Chicó cause confusions, addressing a humble clerk and a baker. People from there live under the excesses of the bishop, the priest and the major. Until, in an attack on the city, all die at the hands of the bandit Severino and must face a trial in the sky, which puts everyone before God and the Virgin Mary.

Clown tells the story of João Grilo, a rich couple's lively employee who cheats everybody in town: arranges a funeral for a dog, bribes the priest and the bishop into celebrating a mass in latin for the animal, and performs many other bizarre things. After he dies, he's submitted to a trial in Heaven, being judged by a black Christ, having the Devil as prosecutor and the Virgin Mary as his defense. (imdb)