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IMDbPro

Will-o'-the-Wisp

Original title: Fogo-Fátuo
  • 20222022
  • 1h 7m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
459
YOUR RATING
André Cabral and Mauro Costa in Will-o'-the-Wisp (2022)
ComedyFantasyMusical
2069, an erotic year if ever there was one, but a fateful year for a king without a crown.2069, an erotic year if ever there was one, but a fateful year for a king without a crown.2069, an erotic year if ever there was one, but a fateful year for a king without a crown.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
459
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • João Pedro Rodrigues
  • Writers
    • João Pedro Rodrigues
    • João Rui Guerra da Mata
    • Paulo Lopes Graça
  • Stars
    • Mauro Costa
    • André Cabral
    • Margarida Vila-Nova
  • Director
    • João Pedro Rodrigues
  • Writers
    • João Pedro Rodrigues
    • João Rui Guerra da Mata
    • Paulo Lopes Graça
  • Stars
    • Mauro Costa
    • André Cabral
    • Margarida Vila-Nova
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1User review
    • 36Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 12 nominations

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:28
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos

    Miguel De, André Cabral, and Mauro Costa in Will-o'-the-Wisp (2022)
    André Cabral, Cláudia Jardim, and Mauro Costa in Will-o'-the-Wisp (2022)
    André Cabral and Mauro Costa in Will-o'-the-Wisp (2022)
    Will-o'-the-Wisp (2022)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mauro Costa
    • Alfredo
    André Cabral
    André Cabral
    • Afonso
    Margarida Vila-Nova
    Margarida Vila-Nova
    • Teresa
    Miguel Loureiro
    Miguel Loureiro
    • Eduardo
    Joel Branco
    Joel Branco
    • Alfredo 2069
    Teresa Madruga
    Teresa Madruga
    • Ama
    Cláudia Jardim
    Cláudia Jardim
    • Comandante
    Joana Barrios
    • Bombeira Otília
    João Villas-Boas
    João Villas-Boas
    • Bombeiro
    João Reis Moreira
    João Reis Moreira
    • Bombeiro
    João Caçador
    • Bombeiro
    Anabela Moreira
    Anabela Moreira
    • Rata de sacristia
    Raquel Rocha Vieira
    Raquel Rocha Vieira
    • Rata de sacristia
    Ana Bustorff
    Ana Bustorff
    • Cunhada de Alfredo
    João Mota
    João Mota
    • Marido da Cunhada
    Sérgio Coragem
    • Comandante 2069
    Antonio Calpi
    • Bombeiro 2069
    • (as António Calpi)
    Mick Bateman
    • Bombeiro 2069
    • Director
      • João Pedro Rodrigues
    • Writers
      • João Pedro Rodrigues
      • João Rui Guerra da Mata
      • Paulo Lopes Graça
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Soundtracks
      Novo Fado do Embuçado
      Written by João Ferreira Rosa

      Performed by Paulo Bragança

    User reviews1

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    A compact Gay love story set during ecological disaster
    At 67 minutes, this compact feature packs a lot of themes: climate change and environmentalism, male erotica and a gay love story, colonialism, privilege and duty, and musical numbers including a dance sequence.

    Portugal has a deposed royal family, whose successors are still called "Prince". In 2011, young Prince Alfredo is taken by his father to the royal forest, where a love of (tall) trees is instilled. Sometime later, with forest fires caused by climate change in the news, Alfredo decides to become a firefighter. Volunteering with an (ironically urban) unit, he appears to skip boot camp, is assigned to a Black firefighter for training, and they fall in love.

    I saw this film at its North American Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, with director Q+A, which informs some of the following

    There are scenes in the family dining room, where young Alfredo spars with his mother, making a speech like Greta, and having his mother calling him a republican. The room is dominated by a large painting of Black servants / slaves, which is his only valuable possession he has left when he dies in 2069. The scene is shot thru an opening that can be closed by sliding doors, suggesting that the family is acting out a staged formality, even in private.

    Given that Alfredo studied art history, he is teased by the mostly-naked firemen in the locker room by their group poses for their "calendar photos" that were supposed to simulate famous paintings. Later, he is shown pictures of male genitalia, as he names what each reminds nim of.

    Written before covid but shot after, the director worked coronavirus into the script. The music includes classical and Portuguese popular songs, with a joke built into one by replacing the word "fellow" with the similar-sounding "phallus". The royal forest is the remains of an actual royal forest, after most was burned by a wildfire, and he agreed with an audience member that the trees (leaves above the camera frame) can be read as phallic symbols.

    My major beef with the film is that it is too short. A lot of stuff is thrown at the audience without much development, and it flashes by like, well, a will-o'-the-wisp.
    helpful•8
    6
    • chong_an
    • Sep 18, 2022

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 14, 2022 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Portugal
      • France
    • Official site
      • ICA's list of ongoing projects.
    • Languages
      • Portuguese
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Fogo-Fátuo
    • Production companies
      • Terratreme Filmes
      • House on Fire
      • Filmes Fantasma
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $23,553
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 7 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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