O Fantasma (2000)

Young and handsome Sergio works the night shift as a trash collector in Lisbon, Portugal. He can't force himself to connect with his pretty female co-worker Fatima, who displays an avid ... See full summary »

Director:

João Pedro Rodrigues

Writers:

João Pedro Rodrigues, José Neves

Stars:

Ricardo Meneses, Beatriz Torcato, Andre Barbosa

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ricardo Meneses	...	Sérgio
Beatriz Torcato	...	Fátima
Andre Barbosa	...	João (as André Barbosa)
Eurico Vieira	...	Virgilio
Jorge Almeida	...	Police 1
Salomão	...	Man with Doberman
Joaquim Oliveira	...	Mário
Florindo Lourenço	...	Matos
Rodrigo Garin	...	Young man in bathroom
Luis Zorro	...	Young man in Sergio's room (as Luís Zorro)
Maria Paola Porru	...	João's Mother
João Rui Guerra da Mata	...	Police 2 (as Guerra da Mata)
Lorde	...	Lorde
Swing	...	Doberman

Storyline

Young and handsome Sergio works the night shift as a trash collector in Lisbon, Portugal. He can't force himself to connect with his pretty female co-worker Fatima, who displays an avid interest in him, so instead Sergio roams the city with the trash company's pet dog. Eventually Sergio becomes fascinated with a sleek motorcycle, and then also its owner, João - a young man totally indifferent to Sergio. The frustrated trash collector's surfacing sexual desires unleash his darkest impulses, sending him down a dangerous path of violence, depravity and degradation.

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Plot Keywords:

lisbon portugal | underwear | locker room | penis | male frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

No one can live without love!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

First feature film directed by João Pedro Rodrigues.

User Reviews

A Bizarre yet Uniquely Pungent View of Obsession

O FANTASMA is not a movie for the casual audience. This dark and seamy vision of sexual confusion is almost unremittingly harrowing, but director Joao Pedro Rodriques drives his vision of a young lad (who lives on the periphery of society and longs to be wanted and loved, even in the 'forbidden world' of same sex attraction) from reality to surreality.

Metaphors abound: the hero works in garbage disposal on the night shift - a stance that sums up his world's view of his persona. Apparently the actor Ricardo Meneses was selected for the lead simply on the basis of his presence and his animal appeal.

This is a rich performance of a boy with an approach/avoidance to his sexuality and Meneses is unafraid to bear it all in his portrayal of passion on the edge. The drive for sexual gratification is dark, sensuous, and bordering on dangerous. His eventual transformation as a 'comic book-like' predator seems natural in the way both director and actor drive this story to its inevitable ending.

The film is VERY dark photographically and while this technique matches the message (this is a story about life in the night), it is difficult at times to visualize the action. The noisy musical scoring becomes almost unbearable at times. But despite these reservations O FANTASMA suggests the debut of a remarkable directorial talent and certainly gives heed to a major screen presence in Ricardo Meneses! Not for everyone, but for those with an eye for something original then try this little film. In Portuguese with subtitles

Details

Country:

Portugal

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

20 October 2000 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

O Fantasma

Filming Locations:

Lisbon, Portugal

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,953, 24 November 2002

Gross USA:

$126,783

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$126,783

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rosa Filmes, Radiotelevisão Portuguesa (RTP), Instituto do Cinema, Audiovisual e Multimédia (ICAM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1