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IMDbPro

Down to Earth

Original title: Casa de Lava
  • 1994
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1K
YOUR RATING
Down to Earth (1994)
In only his second feature, Portuguese filmmaker Pedro Costa (Horse Money, In Vanda's Room) brilliantly reworked Jacques Tourneur's classic I Walked with a Zombie into a reflection on his country's colonial legacy. A nurse, Mariana (Inês Medeiros), accompanies Leão (Isaach De Bankolé) to his home on the volcanic islands of Cape Verde after an accident sends him into a coma. But he goes unrecognized by fellow denizens, leaving Mariana trapped with and eventually entranced by a mysterious community. Never before released in the U.S. and now beautifully restored, Casa de Lava foreshadows the masterful films that would follow, yet is an extraordinary, ravishing work in its own right.
Play trailer0:35
1 Video
41 Photos
Drama

The film tells a story of Mariana, a nurse who leaves Lisbon to accompany an immigrant worker in a comatose sleep on his trip home to Cape Verde. The devoted Portuguese nurse took a journey ... Read allThe film tells a story of Mariana, a nurse who leaves Lisbon to accompany an immigrant worker in a comatose sleep on his trip home to Cape Verde. The devoted Portuguese nurse took a journey only to find herself lost in abstract drama.The film tells a story of Mariana, a nurse who leaves Lisbon to accompany an immigrant worker in a comatose sleep on his trip home to Cape Verde. The devoted Portuguese nurse took a journey only to find herself lost in abstract drama.

  • Director
    • Pedro Costa
  • Writer
    • Pedro Costa
  • Stars
    • Inês de Medeiros
    • Isaach De Bankolé
    • Edith Scob
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Pedro Costa
    • Writer
      • Pedro Costa
    • Stars
      • Inês de Medeiros
      • Isaach De Bankolé
      • Edith Scob
    • 3User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations

    Videos1

    CASA DE LAVA Official Trailer
    Trailer 0:35
    Watch CASA DE LAVA Official Trailer

    Photos41

    Down to Earth (1994)
    Down to Earth (1994)
    Down to Earth (1994)
    Inês de Medeiros in Down to Earth (1994)
    Down to Earth (1994)
    Down to Earth (1994)
    Inês de Medeiros and Pedro Hestnes in Down to Earth (1994)
    Inês de Medeiros and Pedro Hestnes in Down to Earth (1994)
    Inês de Medeiros in Down to Earth (1994)
    Pedro Hestnes in Down to Earth (1994)
    Down to Earth (1994)
    Inês de Medeiros in Down to Earth (1994)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Inês de Medeiros
    • Mariana
    • (as Inês Medeiros)
    Isaach De Bankolé
    Isaach De Bankolé
    • Leão
    Edith Scob
    Edith Scob
    • Edite
    Pedro Hestnes
    • Edite's Son
    Cristiano Andrade Alves
    • Tano
    António Andrade
    • Kilim
    • (as Antônio Andrade)
    Daniel Andrade
    • Nhelas
    Manuel Andrade
    • Tcheka
    Raul Andrade
    • Bassoé
    Joaquim Antunes
    • Pilot 1
    Monica Calle
    • Enfermeira em Lisboa
    Joaquim Carvalho
    • Pilot 2
    Luís Miguel Cintra
    Luís Miguel Cintra
    • Actor convidado
    Isabel de Castro
    Isabel de Castro
    • Actriz convidada
    João Gomes de Pina
    • Bassora
    Sandra do Canto Brandão
    • Tina
    António S. Lopes
    • Betinho
    • (as António Lopes)
    João Medina
    • Dr. Medina
    • Director
      • Pedro Costa
    • Writer
      • Pedro Costa
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Only film by Pedro Costa to use professional actors.
    • Connections
      Featured in Olhar o Cinema Português: 1896-2006 (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Morna das sombras
      Lyrics by Robert Desnos

      Music by Raul Andrade

      Performed by Raul Andrade

    User reviews3

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Portugal and its former colonies
    The scenario for most of the movie is the island of Fogo (Fire), in the southern end of the Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) archipelago. There is an active volcano near the center of the island. Most of the soil is solidified lava, used as material for houses. (which explains the movie's original title, Casa de Lava, House of Lava). The islands, 600 km west of the the Senegalese coast were a Portuguese colony until 1975. They played a role in the European slave trade and their present economy is precariously sustained by tourism and not much else.

    As the movie begins, there are shots of an eruption of the volcano in 1954 and closeups of some of the personages to come. Then we jump to a construction site in Lisbon where Leão (Isaach de Bankolé) suffers an accident and ends up in coma in a hospital. Somebody (from his family?) mails an air ticket for him to return to Fogo. Mariana, a nurse, volunteers to assist the unconscious Leão during the trip. Her first impression of Fogo is a dusty, desolate airstrip; the pilots lend some help but seem eager to get away. Mariana manages to get Leão to the local hospital, formerly a leper colony. The hospital is in disarray and has very scant resources. Mariana's first hurdle is to locate Leão's family. Her interchanges with the locals are tense, and her questions are answered with a combination of silence, oblique non sequiturs and back questions and occasionally with violence. Communication is also impeded by their speaking Creole, that Mariana barely understands.

    The positives: Acting is good all around. Cinematography is excellent but abuses trick lighting, which gives some scenes an artificial look. The negatives: Some characters are schematic or imperfectly fleshed out, and the pace is too slow. What is the film trying to show, if anything? Perhaps the indifference of Portugal (as any other colonial power) towards its ruthlessly exploited ex-colonies. Perhaps the European hubris that blocks Mariana from understanding the locals. Perhaps Mariana's dissatisfaction with her life in Lisbon that leads her to think of her island sojourn as an adventure. In the end, I was somewhat disappointed.
    helpful•1
    1
    • hof-4
    • Sep 16, 2022

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 10, 1995 (Portugal)
    • Countries of origin
      • Portugal
      • France
      • Germany
    • Official site
      • Madragoa Films
    • Languages
      • Portuguese
      • Kabuverdianu
    • Also known as
      • Casa de Lava
    • Filming locations
      • Cape Verde
    • Production companies
      • Madragoa Filmes
      • Gemini Films
      • Pandora Filmproduktion
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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