"O Barão", by Edgar Pêra, based on the homonymous Branquinho da Fonseca masterwork novel, is a visually challenging picture, a film that defies genre boundaries, a characteristic usually found on the works of other Portuguese New Cinema directors (João Canijo, Miguel Gomes, Teresa Villaverde, etc.). Swaying between Gothic horror and surrealism, "O Barão" triggered in me opposite feelings towards what I was seeing.
"O Barão" is shot in beautiful, high-contrast black and white tones, reminiscent of classic Gothic horror pictures, a hypnotizing scheme of colors that succeeds in holding the viewer's attention. Miguel Melo as the titular character (The Baron), gives one of the most impressive performances in recent Portuguese cinema, perfectly embodying is persona, and rising all the way to the top to the best personifications of Dracula in cinema History.
Unfortunately, the stylistic tone of the movie constantly makes use of multiple-exposure shots, ever-changing lighting (to stress on the film's stagey feeling), abstract dialogue and the omnipresence of English subtitles on screen, carefully embedded to make them seem part of the movie itself (that's great for non-Portuguese speakers viewers who want to see "O Barão", but in my perspective I can't help but feel that they look only distracting). This way, the dimmest shade of narrative that "O Barão" could possess gets buried beneath tons of "make-up" and, although the movie runs over less than an hour and a half, sixty minutes into the movie, neither the film's amazing cinematography or Miguel Melo's perfect performance can't save you from dozing off a little bit in your couch. Still, I'd say that "O Barão" is an exercise worth of your attention, for the outstanding aspects afore mentioned.
