Film: Mysteries of Lisbon
Cast includes: Adriano Luz (Respiro), Maria Joao Bastos (O Inimigo Sem Rosto), Richardo Pereia (Amália)
Director: Raúl Ruiz (Marcel Proust’s Time Regained)
Genre: Classical Drama/Surrealism (2010). Based on a book by Camilo Castelo Branco. Portuguese, French and Italian with subtitles
In brief: Pedro, aka “just João” is not like the other kids in the monastery school. He has no holidays, presents from family or letters from home. Maybe the other kids are right in calling him a bastard. When João suffers a seizure, he spends some time in semi-consciousness and dreams he has a visit from the mother he’s never known. When he’s fully conscious, he begins to suspect… or at least he wants to believe… that the woman in his dream is his real life mother. Somehow Padre Dinis seems to hold the key to discovering João’s origin. As we soon learn the woman in João’s dream… the Contessa… is indeed mom, but her husband, the Count, isn’t João’s father. So with the mystery half solved, we have the impression that the other half of the mystery will be the focus of the story going forward.
But not so fast… Mysteries of Lisbon is a film adaptation of a long and complex work by 19th century Portuguese author, Camilo Castelo Branco. It was originally created as a series of 6 1-hour television dramas. It has now been reedited down to a 4.25-hr movie (with an intermission) for American audiences. Ruiz was attracted to the work because it closely matches his own narrative sense… artistic, elegant and classical… yet full of bizarre coincidences, improbably twists and supernatural happenings. At the time it was originally written, it was probably the equivalent of pulp fiction. The genre was called feuilleton… a hybrid of gossip, melodrama and weirdness. Who could resist!
While it’s certainly possible to make a film like this with a tongue-in-cheek wink to the viewer, Ruiz doesn’t approach it that way. It’s a lush, rich period drama that treats the weirdness as just part of the story. The timeline often jumps forward and backward with no attempt to make sure we’re still on the ride. The surreal parts are mixed in so subtly that you may occasionally wonder if you’re hallucinating. The sooner you realize that Ruiz is playing with you, the more likely you are to enjoy this film. If you prefer films with a straightforward narrative structure, you might want to pass on this one. Also, you may find that reading subtitles adds a layer of extra effort, especially to this film… there are so many characters that it’s sometimes difficult to keep all of them straight while reading subtitles. But that said, serious film lovers will find much to enjoy… but don’t get hung up on getting to the bottom of the mysteries. The more mysteries they sort out, the more questions you're likely to have. Just go ahead and surrender to the weirdness.
3 popped kernels
Creative and beautiful… but don’t expect a strong central narrative
Popcorn Profile
Primary Audience: Grown-ups
Gender Appeal: Any audience
Distribution: Art house/TV & direct to video
Mood: Neither upbeat nor somber
Tempo: Cruises comfortably
Visual Style: High-end production
Character Development: Engaging
Language: Artful
Social Significance: Deep and/or intellectual
