Ossos (1997)

Director:

Pedro Costa

Writer:

Pedro Costa

Release Date:

14 November 1997 (Portugal)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

First Of Trilogy | Fontainhas Lisbon | Husband Wife Relationship | Filicide | Immigrant

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Vanda Duarte	...	Clotilde
Nuno Vaz	...	The Father
Mariya Lipkina	...	Tina
Isabel Ruth	...	Eduarda
Inês de Medeiros	...	Whore
Miguel Sermão	...	Clotilde's Husband
Berta Susana Teixeira	...	Nurse
Clotilde Montron	...	Friend
Zita Duarte	...	Friend
Beatriz Lopez
Luísa Carvalho
Ana Marta
Carolina Eira
Ricardo Tavares
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anna Carvalho	...	Prostitute

Directed by
Pedro Costa

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Pedro Costa

Produced by
Paulo Branco	....	producer

Cinematography by
Emmanuel Machuel

Film Editing by
Jackie Bastide

Production Design by
Zé Branco

Costume Design by
Isabel Favila

Production Management
Elisabeth Bocquet	....	production manager (as Elizabeth Bocquet)
António Gonçalo	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
José Maria Vaz da Silva	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Jean Dubreuil	....	sound editor
Henri Maïkoff	....	sound
Pedro Melo	....	sound recordist
Julien Naudin	....	foley artist
Gérard Rousseau	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Pedro Cardeira	....	second assistant camera

Other crew
Pedro Madeira	....	costuming assistant

Thanks
Dominique Auvray	....	thanks: from Pedro Costa
João Botelho	....	thanks: from Pedro Costa
Manuela Correia	....	thanks: from Pedro Costa
Francis Duchet	....	acknowledgment
João Egipto	....	thanks: from Pedro Costa
Françoise Elefantis	....	acknowledgment
Luísa Ferrer	....	thanks: from Pedro Costa
Michel Hamon	....	acknowledgment
Vasco Pimentel	....	thanks: from Pedro Costa
Augusto Rasta	....	thanks: from Pedro Costa
Fausto Rosário	....	thanks: from Pedro Costa
Os Sabura	....	thanks: from Pedro Costa
Vladimir Stein	....	thanks: from Pedro Costa

Production Companies

• Madragoa Filmes (co-production)
• Gemini Films (co-production)
• Zentropa Productions (co-production)
• Instituto Português da Arte Cinematográfica e Audiovisual (IPACA) (participation)
• Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP) (participation)
• Eurimages (funding)

Distributors

• Gemini Films (1997) (France) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Gemini Video Editions (2005) (France) (DVD)
• Kinokuniya (2008) (Japan) (DVD) (box-set)

Other Companies

• Assurances Continentales, Les  insurances
• Câmara Municipal de Lisboa  acknowledgement
• Tobis Portuguesa  sound studio
• Tohu Bohu  sound equipment

Also Known As:

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Portugal | France | Denmark

Language:

Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

France:U | Portugal:M/16 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Lisbon, Portugal

Company:

Madragoa Filmes

Movie Connections:

Followed by In Vanda's Room (2000)

Soundtrack:

Carro Bedjo

Emptiness

Before watching this film, and because of what I had been reading about it on the Internet, I thought it was an attempt to capture the feeling of decadence present in the city of Lisbon and its surroundings (if you have been there you know what I mean). But then I saw it. And understood that in a way I was right... it is an attempt, it does not mean that the director was capable of doing so.

The so called "slow movies" or "long shot sequences" cannot, alone, produce a film. "Ossos" seems to be just that, just a bunch of long shots filmed in an extremely slow pace trying to be - by itself - an art-movie. There is here no connection at all between form and content.

The feeling I got from watching this was that anyone could have made the film. No idea was needed, and no money for production I am sure. You just need to film a couple of people staring at the walls, with no script at all, with some shouting in the background.

It is almost impossible to debate this film as it is completely empty as a film. OK, we can discuss the content but as a representation of a piece of reality, leading us the a discussion about something independent from the movie itself. But the film is just that: a big ZERO.