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

A provocative and disturbing work of art.

I've seen this film twice--once at the cinema and about a year later, on DVD. I too wondered if something had been cut from the film--there is an abrupt transition about three-quarters of the way through that is jarring. As a psychologist, I see this as a work of art that functions, like a dream, to take the viewer into the inner self of the protagonist as well into one's own inner self. While a dream can change scenes abruptly and without logical transitions, the logical mind is still at work as we watch a film, and an illogical or unexplained transtion can actually be distracting, as I found it to be in this film. One further question--or criticism about the editing or story line--the film opens with its climactic scene at the very beginning, involving Sergio, the protagonist, and the object of his obsessive desire. It is extremely erotic and disturbing and putting it right at the beginning--it is never returned to--leaves one with a sense of incompleteness at the end of the film. That said, I found the film to be extraordinarily truthful psychologically, just as our deepest fantasies are truthful--its explicitness was entirely appropriate and not pornographic. The essence of pornography is denial of feeling, but the film is saturated with feeling. The extraordinary beauty of the lead actor will evoke in the viewer either empathy or desire or both--and one admires his willingness to play his role with all stops out and with utter dedication.

Definitely worth seeing.