The tragedy and comedy in Carlos' life begins, grows and ends like the tragedy and comedy of Portugal. In the company of his close friend, João da Ega, allegedly a brilliant writer, Carlos, with his idle existence as an aristocratic doctor, spends his time to enjoying friends and lovers. Until he falls in love. She is a new character in this revolutionary novel. It's a vertiginous passion that goes beyond that past gloominess to reach a new and darker abyss, incest.
Production
Sumptuous 19th-century Lisbon recreated in obsessive detail.
Acting
Graciano Dias embodies aristocratic ennui with unsettling precision.
Cinematography
Golden decay in every frame — beauty that suffocates.
Director
João Botelho
Graciano Dias
Carlos da Maia
Maria Flor
Maria Eduarda
Pedro Inês
João da Ega
João Perry
Afonso da Maia
Hugo Mestre Amaro
Dâmaso Salcede
Maria João Pinho
Condessa de Gouvarinho
Adriano Luz
Conde de Gouvarinho
Filipe Vargas
Manuel Vilaça
Marcello Urgeghe
Craft
Pedro Lacerda
Tomás de Alencar
Rita Blanco
D. Maria da Cunha
José Manuel Mendes
Sr. Guimarães
André Gonçalves
Castro Gomes
José Neto
Caetano da Maia
José Eduardo
Frei Jerónimo
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Eça de Queirós's 1888 novel is Portugal's answer to Flaubert — this adaptation sparked debate about national literary sacred cows.
Botelho deliberately cast unknowns to avoid star baggage; Maria Flor was discovered in a Lisbon café.
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