Jake Kleeman (Anton Yelchin) meets beautiful Mati Vargnier (Lucie Lucas) in a bar. Something clicks and they have an evening together full of self-revelation and breathtaking sex.
He is an intense guy and feels he has reached another level of connection with the sort of woman he could only dream about; he wants the magic to continue. She is more pragmatic. For her, the cold light of morning has dissipated some of the magic. He has an aimless, uncommitted lifestyle, too much in his head. She on-the-other-hand has plenty of commitments. She is ready to say goodbye, but he doesn't read the signals. He outstays his welcome and his ardour becomes a problem. He makes a pest of himself.
It's finished; however the evening they had together lingers in both their memories.
This film caught the intensity that those unplanned liaisons can have. We start with snippets of the evening, then the morning after, and even 10 years later, before returning to a full reveal of the evening.
The story is seen from the point of view of Jake and then Mati, and finally both together. An interesting location adds colour, Porto, Portugal. Old streets and neon-lit strips create an unfamiliar setting.
Maybe I gained a little extra from the film because I did not know the stars. I had no preconceptions about their film personas; I just bought into their characters. Google filled the gap in my knowledge about Lucie Lucas. Anton Yelchin I had never noticed before, although I had seen movies he was in. It's a backhanded compliment really; he is an actor that cloaked himself in his roles including this one. I was shocked to learn of his death not long after the film was made. Sadly it gives a further dimension to his performance.
Of course we bring a lot of our own feelings to a film such as this; it could be the difference between whether it resonates or not. We learn some things as the film progresses, but that which is left to our imaginations helps make "Porto" even more intriguing.
He is an intense guy and feels he has reached another level of connection with the sort of woman he could only dream about; he wants the magic to continue. She is more pragmatic. For her, the cold light of morning has dissipated some of the magic. He has an aimless, uncommitted lifestyle, too much in his head. She on-the-other-hand has plenty of commitments. She is ready to say goodbye, but he doesn't read the signals. He outstays his welcome and his ardour becomes a problem. He makes a pest of himself.
It's finished; however the evening they had together lingers in both their memories.
This film caught the intensity that those unplanned liaisons can have. We start with snippets of the evening, then the morning after, and even 10 years later, before returning to a full reveal of the evening.
The story is seen from the point of view of Jake and then Mati, and finally both together. An interesting location adds colour, Porto, Portugal. Old streets and neon-lit strips create an unfamiliar setting.
Maybe I gained a little extra from the film because I did not know the stars. I had no preconceptions about their film personas; I just bought into their characters. Google filled the gap in my knowledge about Lucie Lucas. Anton Yelchin I had never noticed before, although I had seen movies he was in. It's a backhanded compliment really; he is an actor that cloaked himself in his roles including this one. I was shocked to learn of his death not long after the film was made. Sadly it gives a further dimension to his performance.
Of course we bring a lot of our own feelings to a film such as this; it could be the difference between whether it resonates or not. We learn some things as the film progresses, but that which is left to our imaginations helps make "Porto" even more intriguing.