It's without pride that I say I don't like Portuguese cinema. I find them confusing and confused pseudo-intellectual exercises which only mean anything to the filmmaker and alienate everyone else. I wish I could love Portuguese cinema as much as I do Italian, French, British, Spanish or American cinema.
That's not to say I can't enjoy the occasional movie made in my country. Manhã Submersa is such a movie. Adapted from one of the best novels I've ever read, written by one of the Portugal's best 20th century writers, this semi-autobiographical movie follows the life of António, the son of working-class people, in a seminar preparing to become a priest. It's an oppressive, joyless life punctuated with the occasional moments of fun with his classmates. He din't ask to be there, and neither could he ever aspire to become a priest were it not for the fact his mother's boss, Dona Estefãnia (played by the great actress Eunice Muñoz), has arranged for him to be admitted. She's an elderly rich Catholic woman and her will is like a command from God in the region.
António is a bit like a pet, having a place at Dona Estefãnia's household only to amuse her and her family, who consider themselves nice people for deciding for himself his future as a priest. The director, Lauro António, subtly shows the conflict between these two classes and moves the movie towards a tragic but inevitable conclusion.
As a document of the way of life in Portugal only a few decades ago, Manhã Submersa is of infinite value. As a movie, it's an emotional, sad and fascinating experience.
That's not to say I can't enjoy the occasional movie made in my country. Manhã Submersa is such a movie. Adapted from one of the best novels I've ever read, written by one of the Portugal's best 20th century writers, this semi-autobiographical movie follows the life of António, the son of working-class people, in a seminar preparing to become a priest. It's an oppressive, joyless life punctuated with the occasional moments of fun with his classmates. He din't ask to be there, and neither could he ever aspire to become a priest were it not for the fact his mother's boss, Dona Estefãnia (played by the great actress Eunice Muñoz), has arranged for him to be admitted. She's an elderly rich Catholic woman and her will is like a command from God in the region.
António is a bit like a pet, having a place at Dona Estefãnia's household only to amuse her and her family, who consider themselves nice people for deciding for himself his future as a priest. The director, Lauro António, subtly shows the conflict between these two classes and moves the movie towards a tragic but inevitable conclusion.
As a document of the way of life in Portugal only a few decades ago, Manhã Submersa is of infinite value. As a movie, it's an emotional, sad and fascinating experience.