How Love Survived Long Years’ Trials and Temptations – Movie Review : The Portuguese Woman

“The Portuguese Woman”, a film directed by Rita Azevedo Gomes, tells the story of a nameless lady from Portugal. The period setting is the age of war in Western Europe sometime in the 17th or 18th century. Lord von Ketten, a warrior, leaves his Portuguese wife one year after their marriage to join a decades-long battle with the Bishop of Trent in northern Italy. Instead of returning to Portugal, the lady takes up her abode in his family castle, a decaying mansion perched high on a rocky peak, to wait with her newborn baby for his return.

A large portion of the film is thus taken up with the description of the whirling vortex of unhappiness, loneliness and boredom the Portuguese woman is trapped in during what seems to be an interminable wait. How the lady rides out the agony of the long wait is shown in some trifling details of her daily life.

Missing her maiden home in Portugal, she is often seen holding a book which she never seems to be reading. She makes sketches and sculptures, too, from which she derives little joy, though, as can be seen from the casual way she handles the finished products. There is hardly any smile on her face except, perhaps, for the moment when she is bathing in a mountain stream, reveling in the freedom the practice affords her in contrast with the feeling of suffocation she endures within the confines of the mansion. Tormented by loneliness, she seeks companionship from the maid servants and slaves, laughing half-heartedly over their stale, childish games.  Besides, she must have been walking aimlessly around the vicinity of the mountains, exchanging pleasantries with the few rural dwellers who cross paths with her, for she seems very familiar with the sad story of an old woman with her face half hidden behind a thick veil.

Strangely, while a wolf cub and a kitten, both adopted, become her cherished pets, there seems a lack of communication between mother and child. The only time when she shows her motherly concern is when the child is almost choked on account of a slave’s negligence. The sporadic appearances of a teenager, obviously her son, later in the story only serve to indicate the years going by. Another teenager, probably the same boy but slightly more advanced in age, is seen responding to the bidding of the wheelchaired Ketten, whom he addresses as Lord. Why is so little importance attached to this character? It somehow highlights the fact that the mere focus of her life is to wait to be reunited with her husband. This probably accounts for the snail’s pace of the film with long quiet scenes to enhance the impression that time crawls on. 

Besides, plain colours also set the monotonous tone and mood of the movie. The Portuguese woman looks arrogant in her pale-coloured costumes of a silky texture, which, however, give no hint of her change of mood, if any. Even on the occasion of her husband’s return after a lengthy absence from home, there are no bright colours to heighten the long forgotten joy. On the other hand, the architectural decay and faded furnishings of the once-rich castle also reveal the dreariness of life and invoke a gloomy mood.

As the story drags on, however, the description of Lord von Ketten takes a sudden turn. Initially, his devotion to the never-ending war has taken him away from his wife for long years. In the few scenes of his brief appearances, he is heavily armoured like the rest of the warriors, always ready to get back to the battlefield. He shows no obvious interest in cultivating intimacy with his wife. But, quite surprisingly, he is later found to be capable of very passionate love, venting his anger on the pet wolf when provoked to fierce jealousy by Pero Lobato, his suspected rival. When Ketten lies in bed, nearly fatally wounded, whether the woman will finally fall for Pero keeps the audience emotionally engaged. And the depiction of Ketten’s strenuous struggles for survival is downright uplifting! These details add to the dramatic appeals of the otherwise stodgy film. They also give the impression that the film is a romance, though not a very tightly constructed one.

We are inevitably attracted by some artistic elements in the film, which can perhaps justify its languid pace. It begins with a singing narrator reciting the poem “Under the Lime Tree”. The narrator’s later reappearances between scenes, singing and commenting on the incidents, smack of something akin to visual poetry. Also artistically appealing are its painterly visuals. Each of the scenes is like a painting typical of those in the Middle Ages. One striking feature is the out-of-focus presence of gaping doors in several scenes, adding much to the mystery of the background spaces.

Overall, while telling about a woman of bravery, patience and tenacity, the film also shows how love can survive long years’ trials and temptations. Though there are moments when it seems a bit drawn-out, this is a film well worth our time and interest

The Elderly Can also be Cute and Lovely - GDP: Grandmas’ Dangerous Project

“GDP: Grandmas’ Dangerous Project” is a movie about the problems faced by the elderly, a global issue of increasing importance. Unlike most of the films with the related theme, it does not have a sad tone. Quite on the contrary, it tells a cheerful story and is, in fact, a product of out-of-the-box thinking.

The film’s funny name is an attraction in itself. The initials “G.D.P” hint at some serious undertaking, preparing the audience for the thrill and excitement of an action film. And it also arouses curiosity about the participation of “grandmas” in the operation. What kind of dangerous project are the grannies involved in? How is the project initiated? Is it within the capability of the old women? Will the project be accomplished? Such are the questions that keep the audience emotionally engaged all through. And it is only towards the end of the movie that the mystery is solved.

And the story is mainly dedicated to the question HOW. The old women, each with her own story, are somehow brought together. Through sharing about their problems in their daily lives, they become aware of the need to seek self-sufficiency as long as they are still alive. And in their attempt to achieve this goal, they conceptualize the project.

In spite of its short duration, this light-hearted story has a hidden message behind the scenes. Though described in a very casual way, even evoking occasional bursts of laughter, the incidents are reminiscent of the existing problems in current society.

Granny Hou behaves in a childish way in order to draw her grandchild’s attention. To her disappointment, however, her daughter-in-law gets annoyed with her and cautions her against such insensible behaviour. She thus feels lonely and uncared for. The story reminds us of the elderly deprived of their dignity and importance because the youngsters do not care much about their opinion and suggestions.

Granny Ying comes back to Macau to host the funeral of her sister. She discovers, to her dismay, that her sister had an unaccomplished dream about visiting her in England. Since then, the old lady has been dwelling on sad memories and regrets. The story raises concern about the problem of depression, which can be triggered by financial concerns, loneliness and ill health, among the elderly. In the case of Granny Ying, bereavement is obviously the cause.

Granny May is found to be messing up her household chores, forgetting her meals and over feeding her fish. Her reduced ability to perform everyday activities is the result of a decline in her memory. This is undoubtedly a call for greater attention to the problem of dementia.

The well conceived script enables the twenty-minute film to deliver a message of such thoroughness. It features brief scenes, each with only a few characters, or only one character, a limited period of time, a clear location and a single event that changes and moves the story forward.

In addition, even without much dialogue, the clarity of the message is enhanced with the use of a certain object as the focal point of attention. The audience will always remember the naughty pair of plastic eyeballs with which Granny Hou tries to bridge the generation-gap and curry favour with her grandchild. When she is complaining tearfully about her son’s negligence of her physical weakness, her only listener turns out to be the pair of plastic eyeballs! The diary in Granny Ying’s story is also memorable as she is seen turning the pages, losing herself in her sister’s secret thoughts. Regarding Granny May, there seems no need for any particular object to highlight her dementia problem, as her constant look of bewilderment and blankness is explicit enough.

For the main part, the film has a comedic tone with the use of irony and ridicule to showcase disturbing truths about the ageing population. And, as the film is nearing its end, the director heightens the comic appeal to ring the curtain up on the project. All fully equipped, and one with the pistol in hand, the three grannies make a pose like a hero’s, ready for action. While the audience are craning their necks in expectation of the actual implementation of the dangerous project, all the images suddenly vanish from the scene and only the grannies’ voices can be heard with police sirens in the background, thus setting the final impression that the long awaited questions are left unanswered. But this is exactly the effect desired; there is something more important than the result of the project, or even the project itself, that the director would like to impress the audience with.

The film is inspirational though there is no emphasis regarding a moral lesson. The audience leave the cinema happily, quite convinced that old people can also be cute and lovely as long as they are treated with  appreciation, dignity and respect.