These are works that tear down language and genre boundaries, without taboos. At Boca do Inferno we program disconcerting films, controversial themes, that are best understood (and digested) under the sign of midnight. These are our highlights from the 19th edition of IndieLisboa:
From the classic horror, Arrebato, by Iván Zulueta. A 1979 film, recently restored in 4K, screened for the first time in Portugal. It is also the only feature film by the Spanish filmmaker – best known for working with Pedro Almodóvar as a poster designer. The film tells us about a horror film director with an addiction problem, who receives a mysterious package from Pedro, his ex-girlfriend’s cousin: an audio cassette, a roll of film and a key to his flat. The film opens the section on Thursday April 28th, 7:15 pm, at Cinema São Jorge.
The British film, She Will, or Charlotte Colbert’s directorial debut. A #MeToo era revenge film about a former film star on a health retreat in Scotland, recovering from a double mastectomy. With Dario Argento as executive producer, it brings together actors like Rupert Everett or Malcolm McDowell, and has Alice Krige in the lead role. A film about revenge, but with a dose of black humour. To be watched at Cinema São Jorge, on Saturday April 30th, at 7 pm.
Also to be seen on Saturday April 30th, Strawberry Mansion. The film takes place in 2035, in a society where dreams are taxed by the government, a dystopian world where not even the productions of the subconscious are free from the monster of capitalism. Arabella Isadora, an elderly artist, has her dreams archived on VHS, waiting for the collector. The film by Kentucker Audley – regular collaborator of Ti West and Amy Seimetz – and Albert Birney crosses genres and destroys canons, to end up in a dreamlike and surprising journey. The screening takes place at Cinema Ideal, at 10:00 pm.
Peter Strickland is back at the festival! An increasingly safe value of genre cinema, the English director explores pastiche and humour in a story that takes place in a house in the bucolic English countryside, a residence where artists work extracting different and disturbing sounds from various foods. Flux Gourmet can be watched at Culturgest on Saturday May 7th, at 7:30 pm.
In Kandisha, Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, the duo responsible for the classic À l’intérieur, explore urban myths and legends. When Amélie has a violent encounter with her ex-boyfriend, the memory of an avenging demon leads her to summon Aicha Kandisha. However, once summoned, this macabre figure demands the lives of six men – and it’s up to Amélie to find a solution to the curse. It plays on the last day of the festival, Sunday May 8th, at 9:30 pm, in Cinema São Jorge.
Check the complete programme in the digital magazine.
Back to its spring dates, IndieLisboa’s 19th edition will take place from April 28th to May 8th, at Cinema São Jorge, Culturgest, Cinemateca Portuguesa, Cinema Ideal and Biblioteca Palácio Galveias.