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A torinói ló (2011)
Not that great
Just saw this movie yesterday, and although some of my favourite films are European / auteur ones, I've never seen anything by Béla Tarr, so my expectations were high. And I left the room somewhat disappointed, because I learned little or nothing that wasn't included in the synopsis. OK, it's the end of the world. But that's more or less what I read / predicted in the synopsis. The film is slow but rarely there are static shots, because the camera is almost always on the move (mainly slowly, but moving). So, I don't get what this movie brings to the "end of the world" thematic. Concerning that, I would see again "Melancholia". Technically, sometimes this reminded me of Tarkovsky (mostly "Stalker"). I've counted the shots and it came to 28 (of course I can have miscounted them), with smooth transitions, and, again, it seems a well done job. But a movie isn't mainly about technique, it's about getting something out of it at the end. And I got nothing, apart from what I knew from the start...
Respirar (Debaixo D'água) (2000)
A wonderful (not so) short movie!
Since there is not even a single review for this, I decided to go on and make my first one for IMDb, since this little movie deserves it. I must say that although I usually don't watch many shorts, this must be my all-time favorite so far. Set in Coimbra, Portugal, it brings me some personal memories – I remember when casting was made at my school back then (1999), the main actress studied there and even two friends of mine got roles as extras. It is also very interesting to see places that I know so well, and see how some of them have changed so much in only 10 years.
But now for the most important: the film. Filmed with a low budget, it has great both acting moments (the two main actors completely steal the show) and landscape shots (the underwater shots, the bottle shot, the city landscape seen from the Açude bridge, etc). Above all, it's a wonderful teen love story, with all the issues it brings. Little dialogue, great cinematography, great soundtrack (mainly by artists from Coimbra). António Ferreira is a name to watch, I already saw "Esquece Tudo O Que Te Disse" and I can't wait for "Embargo".
Thumbs up, highly recommended!