Portugal (2018) User Reviews

A creation of mediocre script, odd characters, yet good performances

[BeneCumb · 5/10 · 2 March 2019]

Particulary this decade has produced a number of distinct Estonian films, but almost all of them are based on some good book or compilation, not on a self-written stuff about "complex" human relations. Nevertheless, Portugal has followed the latter, resulting with a slow and sometimes baffling story full of what-if reasoning. All major performers are well-known in Estonia, fulfill their tasks well, but I am not sure it is noticed by foreign viewers. This film was shown on a local TV-channel and apparently was seen by tens of thousands, but I wonder why and who should go to the cinema to see this.

Yeah, the wealthier cry too, but everyones knows that; long silent scenes do not necessarily add profundity, but often blah! feelings, etc. I was hoping the era of such Estonian films is over.

I Guess We're Not Going to Portugal.

[hrkepler · 3/10 · 9 May 2018]

People looking out of the windows of transportation devices. Passing land- and cityscapes. Cars mirroring on the windows of class buildings. Buildings mirroring on the windows of cars. People sitting and staring at something, rarely at each other. Sometimes they make faces like they're about to say something and then not. Totally confusing and out of place scenes (like husband coming home being beaten up. Who kicked his ass? The guy in the gym? But the clothes of husband were different in these to continuous scenes.).

The film was as shallow as that one piece of paper the screenplay was written on. There was a plot, but the story was told through silence and meaningless symbolism that all felt repetetive and boring. It seems like the director said to actors to walk and just filmed them and then cut all the material together. The film tried to be deep, but it fell out just pretentious trying to be art. There were couple of moments that felt like now the film starts to going somewhere, but these moments were brief and led to another sequence of empty scenes and finally to dissapointment. The cinematography was beautiful, with some well composed shots and all the actors were great, but it just wasn't enough to carry the movie and keep me interested (one of the very rare occasions where I felt I'm not going to sit through it, but I kept hoping, and the hope died last).

Another movie that tries to tell something when actually it doesn't have nothing to say. The trailer was much more interesting.