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 | pubic hair | male pubic hair | underwear | male rape | 

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Taglines:

No one can live without love!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Portugal

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

20 October 2000 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

O Fantasma

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,434, 27 November 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$125,651, 9 November 2003

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

First feature film directed by João Pedro Rodrigues.

User Reviews

Stunning tale of animalistic sex

Unlike the other reviewer of this movie, I thought it was a stunner. Yes, it's odd, and yes, it's shot in a lot of darkness, but I think it works. It's like a parable -- simplified, cut to the bone. We know little about the protagonist, or why he does why he does; we're just told the story, in all its bizarrerie. He seems more like a dog than a human (as his growling etc shows), but there's no pop-psychology here, no explanations, just the story of his movement into ever darker depths of bestial behaviour. It's not light, but it is extremely sexy -- the scene where he puts on a pair of old motorcycle gloves, salvaged from the garbage he collects by day, and starts to caress himself sends a shiver down the spine. Other scenes are more brutally direct, but the movie's lack of coyness makes it as refreshing as it is disquieting. I found it riveting.