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Review #139 of 365
Film: Odete (Two Drifters) [NR] 101 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $10.75
Where Viewed: Landmark Eqyptian Theatre, Seattle, WA
(2006 Seattle International Film Festival)
When 1st Seen: 31 May 2006
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
As the Seattle International Film Festival rolls on, today I was 'treated' to a fine little Portuguese (my first) film—meaning first Portuguese film I've ever seen, not first film I've ever seen, obviously! In any case, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. And, I was pleasantly surprised. The film in question is called 'Two Drifters' in English, but goes by the name of Odete in Portuguese—which is an interesting choice, I thought given that Odete is that name of the main female character rather than a translation of Two Drifters. In any case, I am not a fan of converting titles to English. I say let the film be called what it was called in its native language and it's about time that USAers get over ourselves and just learn to deal with other languages and learn to pronounce them—though a pronunciation guide would always be quite tasteful.
Odete, played very aggressively by Ana Cristina De Oliveira, is a woman on a quest to achieve life's greatest miracle: to conceive and carry a child. She becomes so focused on this mission that (a) she tosses out Alberto (Carloto Cotta), her long-time boyfriend (literally kicks him out the door) when he challenges her on the notion of her wanting to get pregnant when they aren't yet married or settled in their careers; (b) she does her best to try and get pregnant by another guy named Pedro (João Carreira) who dies tragically in a car accident, or (c) she fails to get pregnant by Pedro, so she encounters his life-partner, Rui (Nuno Gil), and figures if she, what's the word, re-imagines herself in Pedro's image, Rui will find her desirable, impregnate her, and finally, she will have fulfilled her destiny. This wasn't actually supposed to be a multiple-choice quiz, but if it were, there would have had to be a (d) all of the above, because, then (d) would be the correct answer. Meanwhile, poor Rui, to the same depth that Odete is obsessed with conceiving a child, Rui
was in love with Pedro. On their last eve together, they exchanged promise rings with the expression of "Two Drifters" engraved inside the bands—hence the English title. They were as two ships passing in the night that collided and found love. Rui's rage toward this event never subsides. He is totally consumed and battles the urge to end his own life to end the pain. Well, if you'd like to know the ending of this film because your chances of ever seeing it are slim, let me know, and I'll email it off to you. I'm guessing right now that most people would not be able in their wildest imagination despite all the clues I planted to guess what happens. I am still trying to clear the final image from my mind.
"Director and co-writer, João Pedro Rodrigues has created a very taught film which suspends a tightrope across the chasm between sanity and insanity, obsession and resolve, life and death. The performances...are...tour de force in style, but not necessarily in caliber. "
Director and co-writer, João Pedro Rodrigues has created a very taught film which suspends a tightrope across the chasm between sanity and insanity, obsession and resolve, life and death. Odete and Rui must take the perilous journey back and forth more than once all the while an incredibly strong wind (not just a metaphorical wind, a real gale force maelstrom style wind) threatens to knock them off into oblivion. For Odete, the wind is the angry spirit of Pedro trying to communicate. For Rui, it is a force of destruction that threatens his ability to perceive reality. The performances from Ana Cristina De Oliveira and Nuno Gil are, therefore, practically tour de force in style, but not necessarily in caliber. Both seem to be acting a bit over the top, whether for a lack of better directions or the artistic value is a bit blurred. Still, it was fascinating to see them cope with their grief over Pedro—the one thing they truly have in common—and to watch this very interesting love triangle unfold. The film is artistically very interesting in spots, and the landscape of Portugal is mostly unknown to me, so I also enjoyed this aspect of the film. For my first Portuguese film, I would say, sign me up for number two.
Review-lite [150-word cap]
In Odete (Two Drifters) Portuguese director and co-writer, João Pedro Rodrigues has created a very taught film suspending a tightrope across the chasm between sanity and insanity, obsession and resolve, life and death. The lives of Odete, (Ana Cristina De Oliveira) a woman obsessed with carrying a child, and Rui, (Nuno Gil) a man who's life partner Pedro (João Carreira) has just been killed tragically, intersect via their mutual love for Pedro. The performances from the leads are practically tour de force in style but not necessarily in caliber. Whether for a lack of direction or for sheer artistic value, both seem to be acting a bit over the top. It was fascinating to see them cope with their grief over Pedro and to watch this very interesting love triangle unfold. Artistically very interesting in spots, and with the unfamiliar landscape of Portugal, Odete views as an emotionally aggressive film.
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