Variações (2019)

A biopic about António Variações, a famous Portuguese pop rock singer from the 80s who died from AIDS-related complications in 1984.

Director:

João Maia

Writers:

João Maia, Karen Sztajnberg (screenwriter) (co-writer)

Stars:

Sérgio Praia, Filipe Duarte, Victoria Guerra

15 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sérgio Praia	...	António Variações
Filipe Duarte	...	Fernando Ataíde
Victoria Guerra	...	Rosa Maria
Augusto Madeira	...	Luis Vitta
Teresa Madruga	...	Deolinda de Jesus
Eric da Silva	...	Jelle
Tomás Alves	...	José António
Fernando Pires	...	Frederico
José Raposo	...	Mário Martins
Diogo Branco	...	Jorge
Filipe Albuquerque	...	Renato
Miguel Raposo	...	Pedro Ayres Magalhães
Afonso Lagarto	...	Carlos Barbosa
João Nunes de Azevedo	...	António (12 anos)
João Melo	...	Jaime Ribeiro

Storyline

António Variações was a unique man. He was born in a small village in Amares, in the north of Portugal. At an early age, unhappy with his life working at a local factory, he came to Lisbon to stay with some relatives. But he was different and he wanted more. He wanted to travel and see the world and he emigrated, starting to work as a barber. But his love for music and performance was so strong that he came back so he could sing in his own language, even if with his looks and outfits he was a victim of prejudice. And even without knowing anything about music he fought for his right to do it the way he believed it was best.

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Plot Keywords:

portugal | gay nightclub | party | portuguese | aids | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

M/12

Did You Know?

Trivia

The family of António Variações lent the original tapes ("cassetes") to the production, so the handwriting on the covers are from António himself.

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Quotes

Fernando Ataíde: I don't know if you'll be able to adapt to all this.
António Variações: And who told you that I want to adapt to Lisbon? It is Lisbon that will adapt to me!

User Reviews

"Variações" is a love letter to Portuguese cinema

Portuguese cinema had a great evolution in this decade. Movies such as "La Cage Dorée", "Blood of My Blood", "Parque Mayer" or "Jogo de Damas" are some of the films that prove it. "Variações" joins this list and brings something new that few films bring with them: a love letter to the cinema. Although the budget in Portugal is small it is amazing how they can create films of this large size. João Maia was fantastic as a director as well as a screenwriter, the cinematography is very effective, a wardrobe that could have been better invested, but a great and fabulous makeup and hair styling. Sérgio Praia's performance is praiseworthy and deserves all the awards and a few more, I even dare to say that he should be the first Portuguese actor to compete for the Oscar nominations. Between "Parque Mayer" and "Variações" I don't know which one can compete for the nomination for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars. But one thing is for sure this movie will make our Portuguese people cry.

Details

Official Sites:

The Open Reel [Italy]

Country:

Portugal

Language:

Portuguese English Dutch

Release Date:

22 August 2019 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Variações

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,638,712

Company Credits

Production Co:

DAVID & GOLIAS

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos (Dolby Surround 7.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1