By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Miguel Gomes
Starring: Ana Moreira | Carloto Cotta | Enrique Espirito Santo | Laura Soveral | Teresa Madruga
Country: brazil, france, germany, portugal
Year: 2013
Running time: 118
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2153963/combined
Chris says: “From Portugal, this little, whimsical black-and-white film should carry an instant appeal for anyone bored by the more commercial axis of indie crossover cinema simply because it’s so quirky and weird—almost like a more feminine Jim Jarmusch mixed in with a little David Lynch (at his gentlest). Inspired by F.W. Murnau’s 1931 film of the same title (but only seemingly tangentially related to it), the first half is set in modern-day Lisbon, while the second half unfolds in 1960s Africa and serves as a flashback referencing two characters from the first half. The second half takes the prize over the first: it’s more involving, less static and a better fit for the director’s tendency to favor artful enhancements over philosophical meaning. That’s not to say the first part’s worthless as it features a lovely, grounding performance from Teresa Madruga who serves as an audience surrogate for the extended Africa flashback… but I’d rather watch the flashback again than her section of the film. 3.5
cats”