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Will-o'-the-Wisp

Original title: Fogo-Fátuo
  • 2022
  • Unrated
  • 1h 7m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
André Cabral and Mauro da Costa in Will-o'-the-Wisp (2022)
ComedyFantasyMusicalRomanceSci-Fi

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.

  • Director
    • João Pedro Rodrigues
  • Writers
    • João Pedro Rodrigues
    • João Rui Guerra da Mata
    • Paulo Lopes Graça
  • Stars
    • Mauro da Costa
    • André Cabral
    • Margarida Vila-Nova
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    1.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • João Pedro Rodrigues
    • Writers
      • João Pedro Rodrigues
      • João Rui Guerra da Mata
      • Paulo Lopes Graça
    • Stars
      • Mauro da Costa
      • André Cabral
      • Margarida Vila-Nova
    • 3User reviews
    • 45Critic reviews
    • 72Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 14 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:28
    Official Trailer

    Photos12

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    Top cast43

    Edit
    Mauro da Costa
    • Alfredo
    • (as Mauro Costa)
    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
    • Rata de sacristia
    Ana Bustorff
    Ana Bustorff
    • Cunhada de Alfredo
    João Mota
    João Mota
    • Marido da Cunhada
    Sérgio Coragem
    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

    User reviews3

    6.01.1K
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    Featured reviews

    7laduqesa

    Glad I made the effort

    I came to this via an article in the Guardian newspaper about films one hadn't seen in 2023 but should have. This one in particular intrigued me enough to seek it out and it was worth it.

    I really wasn't being convinced at first, but then got the idea about the forest and the upholding of tradition of a pretender royal family conceptualised in the formal setting of their evening meals together. Duty, tradition and service outwardly were the watchwords of the day; indifference was the real mood. The former come back to haunt young Alfredo when it was his time to assume the mantle of empty kingship.

    Set in two separate years, the piece was in turns moving, fun, sexy, artistic and sad. The unsimulated love scene between Alfredo and Afonso was an integral part of the flow and not grafted on for titillation, as so often happens. Its intimacy made it harder to bear for the viewer when stultifying duty called.

    Two parts of the film moved me terribly. The final song sung at the funeral. And the firemen insisting that he have "a Pietà", which harked back to the tableaux fifty years earlier. That was sublime.

    Thank you to the Guardian's film critic!
    7chong_an

    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.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For the Brazilian theatrical release of this film an unrelated 20-minute Brazilian film was added to the beginning. It may have been believed that people wouldn't want to pay to see a 67 minute film.
    • Goofs
      During Alfredos call with his mother his phone screen is lit bright up. Normally, when you put phones to your ear during a call, the screen goes dark.
    • Soundtracks
      Novo Fado do Embuçado
      Written by João Ferreira Rosa

      Performed by Paulo Bragança

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    FAQ15

    • How long is Will-o'-the-Wisp?Powered by Alexa

    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
      • Fuego fatuo
    • Production companies
      • Terratreme Filmes
      • House on Fire
      • Filmes Fantasma
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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

    Tech specs

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

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    André Cabral and Mauro da Costa in Will-o'-the-Wisp (2022)
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