Portuguese cinema is utterly intrinsic to its history, which makes it representative of the time, space and social context upon it is placed. With this in mind it is sometimes hard for outsiders to understand these films which embody the Portuguese feelings of saudade, our melancholies and our delights.
Even so don’t discourage yourself from watching some movies I will list below, as in the end cinema mainly serves to illustrate humans, their stories and feelings which is universal.
So if you are curious to watch Portuguese movies I compiled some of the most important and interesting ones, I hope you enjoy!
Os Verdes Anos (1963), Paulo Rocha
This was the film that inaugurated the New Portuguese Cinema, evidently influenced by the French cinema of the time. Besides cutting completely with the cinematographic rules of Salazarismo (Portuguese Dictatorship), the importance of the piece resides on the portrayal that it creates of the Lisbon society from the point of view of the characters highlighting the malaise and the sensation of cultural isolation of the youth, and of the gradual urban transformation of Lisbon into a metropolis closer to those of other European capitals, in spite of the provincial ambient and spirit.
In this scene of the movie you can also hear the beautiful soundtrack composed by Carlos Parede and the voice of Teresa Paula Brito.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNjN228Gy4M
Silvestre (1981), João César Monteiro
“The dark Silvestre brings to life a world of folklore and fairy tales (Bluebeard) and with it the spirit of the medieval traveling theater. Set in the 15th century, this seemingly light and naive story about two sisters, the violation of a prohibition, a girl hiding in a knight's armor and dragons takes us on an adventurous journey into the depths of national founding myths to uncover their underlying layers of violence. Presented in the competition at the Venice Festival, the film stars Maria de Medeiros (the memorable Fabienne from Pulp Fiction) in her first acting role. Her character is a reference to Joan of Arc. Boldly unraveling the threads between painting, cinema, theater and poetry, Monteiro reaches into the past to uncover the roots of fascism, which time and time again has cast its shadow on Portuguese history.”
From NH20 New Horizons
I this clip it is clear to understand João Monteiro’s use of fantasy and color in his work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMZDY_T78zE
Os Mutantes (1998), Teresa Villaverde
The film tells a bleak story about the neglected street-children, their exploitation, abuse, and their eventual descent into lives of violence and crime. Based on her research on the runaways and the children of the street, Villaverde had planned the project as a documentary with the intention of using actual children that slip through the cracks in the system of the state-run facilities. The authorities, fearing criticism, declined her proposal. Villaverde turned the project into a fictional narrative.
Alice (2005), Marco Martins
Alice is a languid and melancholic study of grief. Following the disappearance of his four-year old daughter, the titular Alice, her father’s life literally stops. Retracing his steps to exacting details, Mário, follows the same routine he did on the day his daughter went missing. He takes the same train, meets the same people and even takes the same suit to the dry cleaners each and every day: His whole existence now reduced to a Sisyphean routine as if repeating the events of that fateful day will in some ways bring her back. Installing a series of illegal cameras across the city he check over the images hoping to get a glimpse of Alice once more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBqQazFr3Kk
Tabu (2012), Miguel Gomes
Aurora, an elderly woman with contradictory opinions, lives with a Cape Verdean employee and a friend engaged in social causes. After her death, obscure facts from her past emerge, and Aurora's companions learn about her tragic adventure in Africa.
This film was unexpectedly awarded at the Berlin International Film Festival, and the reason seems to be simple: as spectators it is difficult not to allow ourselves to be involved in this story of lost love and romantization of nostalgia in an Africanist adventure scenario.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoelUhjVXas
Vitalina Varela (2019) – Pedro Costa
Costa uses a nonprofessional actor and tells her real story. Vitalina Varela is from the island of Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony, In the mid-1980s, Vitalina was married to a man with whom she was building a family home, brick by brick. But Vitalina’s husband ran out on her and went to Lisbon, having promised her that he would send money, or at any rate bring her over to join him.
But he never did. Now, after 40 years, Vitalina has finally come to Lisbon to confront him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NFEWJjRpjs
Tristeza e Alegria na Vida das Girafas (2019) – Tiago Guedes
The economic crisis, a teddy bear with suicidal tendencies named Judy Garland, the Discovery Channel, a black panther and the Russian playwright Anton Tchekhov are all part of the heroic adventure of a little girl who has a problem to solve.
https://vimeo.com/274708553
Even so don’t discourage yourself from watching some movies I will list below, as in the end cinema mainly serves to illustrate humans, their stories and feelings which is universal.
So if you are curious to watch Portuguese movies I compiled some of the most important and interesting ones, I hope you enjoy!
Os Verdes Anos (1963), Paulo Rocha
This was the film that inaugurated the New Portuguese Cinema, evidently influenced by the French cinema of the time. Besides cutting completely with the cinematographic rules of Salazarismo (Portuguese Dictatorship), the importance of the piece resides on the portrayal that it creates of the Lisbon society from the point of view of the characters highlighting the malaise and the sensation of cultural isolation of the youth, and of the gradual urban transformation of Lisbon into a metropolis closer to those of other European capitals, in spite of the provincial ambient and spirit.
In this scene of the movie you can also hear the beautiful soundtrack composed by Carlos Parede and the voice of Teresa Paula Brito.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNjN228Gy4M
Silvestre (1981), João César Monteiro
“The dark Silvestre brings to life a world of folklore and fairy tales (Bluebeard) and with it the spirit of the medieval traveling theater. Set in the 15th century, this seemingly light and naive story about two sisters, the violation of a prohibition, a girl hiding in a knight's armor and dragons takes us on an adventurous journey into the depths of national founding myths to uncover their underlying layers of violence. Presented in the competition at the Venice Festival, the film stars Maria de Medeiros (the memorable Fabienne from Pulp Fiction) in her first acting role. Her character is a reference to Joan of Arc. Boldly unraveling the threads between painting, cinema, theater and poetry, Monteiro reaches into the past to uncover the roots of fascism, which time and time again has cast its shadow on Portuguese history.”
From NH20 New Horizons
I this clip it is clear to understand João Monteiro’s use of fantasy and color in his work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMZDY_T78zE
Os Mutantes (1998), Teresa Villaverde
The film tells a bleak story about the neglected street-children, their exploitation, abuse, and their eventual descent into lives of violence and crime. Based on her research on the runaways and the children of the street, Villaverde had planned the project as a documentary with the intention of using actual children that slip through the cracks in the system of the state-run facilities. The authorities, fearing criticism, declined her proposal. Villaverde turned the project into a fictional narrative.
Alice (2005), Marco Martins
Alice is a languid and melancholic study of grief. Following the disappearance of his four-year old daughter, the titular Alice, her father’s life literally stops. Retracing his steps to exacting details, Mário, follows the same routine he did on the day his daughter went missing. He takes the same train, meets the same people and even takes the same suit to the dry cleaners each and every day: His whole existence now reduced to a Sisyphean routine as if repeating the events of that fateful day will in some ways bring her back. Installing a series of illegal cameras across the city he check over the images hoping to get a glimpse of Alice once more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBqQazFr3Kk
Tabu (2012), Miguel Gomes
Aurora, an elderly woman with contradictory opinions, lives with a Cape Verdean employee and a friend engaged in social causes. After her death, obscure facts from her past emerge, and Aurora's companions learn about her tragic adventure in Africa.
This film was unexpectedly awarded at the Berlin International Film Festival, and the reason seems to be simple: as spectators it is difficult not to allow ourselves to be involved in this story of lost love and romantization of nostalgia in an Africanist adventure scenario.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoelUhjVXas
Vitalina Varela (2019) – Pedro Costa
Costa uses a nonprofessional actor and tells her real story. Vitalina Varela is from the island of Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony, In the mid-1980s, Vitalina was married to a man with whom she was building a family home, brick by brick. But Vitalina’s husband ran out on her and went to Lisbon, having promised her that he would send money, or at any rate bring her over to join him.
But he never did. Now, after 40 years, Vitalina has finally come to Lisbon to confront him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NFEWJjRpjs
Tristeza e Alegria na Vida das Girafas (2019) – Tiago Guedes
The economic crisis, a teddy bear with suicidal tendencies named Judy Garland, the Discovery Channel, a black panther and the Russian playwright Anton Tchekhov are all part of the heroic adventure of a little girl who has a problem to solve.
https://vimeo.com/274708553