I liked it... What does it all mean? I suppose I could come up with some fancy five dollar words to describe one's digging into the dark abyss of their soul, trying to find meaning and self identity in this great big world, but I won't.
Four twenty something's lay sprawled out on a rooftop at night. Two guys and two girls chill while sharing a drink and smoke and staring at the stars. We hear an inner voice describe their emotions... or lack thereof. There's apprehension at leaving behind the carefree existence of youth and feeling forced into the responsibilities of adulthood. They relate it to a funeral and the dying of one's self and identity, and somehow transforming into something else. It's all about the fear of the unknown. Well, that's my interpretation... and I actually liked it.
I'm not one who tends to enjoy a whole lot of pretentious narrative and pseudo philosophical rhetoric. For the most part, it usually amounts to a whole lot of nothing being said or happening in a film. Most reviewers love it, it gives occasion for them to dust off their thesaurus and show how many big words they can string together. But, Sara Eustáquio didn't do that. This truly felt like an angry and cynical coming of age film. It also felt honest. There was nothing pretentious about it. To many, graduating school is more about reaching the end of the road than opening the door to opportunity. It's a scary time. The expectations are great and the prospect of leaving the safety of the nest and facing a cruel world is daunting.
Olivia Michael was a great choice for the narrative. She has a very warm and familiar voice, like you've heard her in a dozen other films. Maybe not, she just has one of those voices.
Luis Simas provided a cool, melancholy score which lent itself perfectly to the subject matter. There is no action, just a few friends chilling on a roof. Simas managed to blend his music with Michael's words seamlessly.
The cinematography was nice. At five minutes, there's not much going on and António Murtas kept things simple. There are no extreme close ups or bizarre angles, just a quiet night on a rooftop.
Sometimes less is more and I think as writer, director and editor, Sara Eustáquio did her homework and knew exactly what she wanted to say and did a great job.
Nicely done. We are always impressed with Sara's work.
Brian Lutes/World Premiere Film Awards