Noite Escura (2004)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

João Canijo

Writers:

João Canijo (writer)
Pierre Hodgson (writer)

Release Date:

21 October 2004 (Portugal)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Plot:

"Noite Escura" is a disturbing movie about the Portuguese underworld of prostitution.

Plot Keywords:

Prostitution | Greek Tragedy | Mafia | Dying | Singing

Awards:

7 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Fernando Luís	...	Nelson Pinto
Rita Blanco	...	Celeste Pinto
Beatriz Batarda	...	Carla Pinto
Cleia Almeida	...	Sónia Pinto
Natalya Simakova	...	Irka (as Nataliya Zymakova)
José Raposo	...	Nicolau, Nelson's Associate
Dmitry Bogomolov	...	Fyodor
João Reis	...	Sónia's Boyfriend
Anna Belozorovich	...	Irka's Friend
Antonio Ferreira	...	Pressure Cooker
Ramón Martinez	...	Sebastião
Ana Luísa Leão	...	Paloma
Anabela Moreira	...	Rute
Helena Alves	...	Iris
Jinie Rainho	...	Brigina

Also Known As:

In the Darkness of the Night (International: English title)

Runtime:

94 min | France:105 min

Country:

Portugal

Language:

Portuguese | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Company:

Madragoa Filmes

Trivia:

Portugal's official submission to the 2006 Academy Awards.

The hell of a life

This movie tells the story of a man who has got to sell her own daughter to the Russian Mafia to avoid being killed by them for debts. He tells her they are artistic impresarios in search of talents to make future great stars when in fact they are going to put her in a bar brothel in Russia or elsewhere and turn her into a prostitute. The man is the husband of the bar hostess whose part is made by the great actress Rita Blanco. Life in the bar is shown in all its crudity and insensitiveness with the girls serving her clients in drinking and sex. The Russian Mafia is behind the scene and in fact commands the business even if they only appear when it's necessary to kill someone who has broken the rules including any of the girls serving there. They do it with sheer brutality. This is an universe where the distinction between good and evil is not known. Only money, sex and power command here. Nevertheless there is some place for good human feelings here and there. There is the older sister (part very well done by Beatriz Batarda who is often considered the best Portuguese actress now) who doesn't want to let her younger sister go with the Russians because she knows too well what will be her destiny. Even the bar hostess who is her mother shows certain reluctance in it but she is too much involved in the business to make a full opposition. The movie is made with much realism and truth but it's a bit too schematic in the depiction of certain characters. The movements of camera are very often too quick and confused and the cut abuses of close-ups of faces to the detriment of more general plans that would be needed. But the movie shows enough well the hell of life in those brothel bars.