18/05/2005

Night orgasmic trance scenes on a grave, day suicide attempts on the same place, swindle and hysterical false pregnancy, homosexual dates in saunas or car parks: today’s screening of Odete [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by João Pedro Rodrigues did not surprised film lovers which were well-informed on the Quinzaine des réalisateurs. The filmmaker already dealt with extremes with his first feature film O Fantasma, presented in 2000 in Venice and which had a very good reception by the French critics
This time, the Lusitanian filmmaker chose to depict the feeling of unease of two young people from Lisbon Odete (Ana Cristina de Oliveira) and Rui (Nuno Gil). Two parallel stories depicting two people who go through a process of mourning, one is true and the other simulated. Pedro who died at the beginning of the film, represents the link as Rui’s lover and Odete’s neighbour. Odete, a roller-girl in a supermarket has just been let down by her boyfriend since he didn’t want to have a child with her. She claims she is carrying Pedro’s child, harasses her mother in the graveyard on a daily basis, creates an imaginary love for Pedro which borders madness and starts to feel all the symptoms of a pregnant woman. On the other side, Rui who feels guilty for his lover’s death, gets drunk alone, has sexual affairs and frowns on Odete when they see each other. Eventually protected by Pedro’s tearful mother, Odete lets herself be carried away by her strange obsession while transforming herself in Pedro’s female clone. Her pregnancy’s hoax will be revealed but Rui will recover Pedro’s love through Odete, a new couple is created mixing trash, homosexual sex and madness.
Very well mastered on the formal level with in particular a very developed sense of detail, Odete (produced by Rosa Filmes, distributed and sold abroad by Kino Filmes) is a disturbing film which does not seek unanimity. With a graveyard as the main character and a plot where the characters try to bring dead people to life as mediums, with the omnipresent theme of homosexuality. João Pedro Rodrigues’ second feature film will certainly opposes its supporters and its detractors but everyone will agree on the filmmaker’s qualities.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)