Desert Rose (1989) Rosa de Areia

Directors: Margarida Cordeiro, António Reis
Stars: António Manuel Baptista, Constança Capdeville, Carlos Alberto Gomes

Drawing on a wide mosaic of texts from figures like Montaigne and Kafka, literary and philosophical fragments are used to illustrate and reflect on the human condition. It is a tribute to the landscape and the people who inhabit the Trás-os-Montes region of Portugal, portraying the region not just as a physical space, but as a place where imagination and reality intertwine.

This was not intended to be António Reis and Margarida Cordeiro's last movie, but it is the perfect farewell from one of the most - if not the most - talented directors in Portugal. "Rosa de Areia" is not a film for all tastes; in fact, it's a kind of "love it or hate it" experience. Nevertheless, I consider it my favorite Portuguese film. Looking at the directors' body of work, it's fascinating to observe the evolution of their poetic, bucolic and metaphysical themes, starting with "Trás-os-Montes", continuing through "Ana", and culminating in "Rosa de Areia". It may be the most unintelligible movie of their career, but it is also the most beautiful, poetic, and surrealistic, elevating the themes of their previous films into a more transcendental realm, with motifs of time and death woven throughout. It is a wonderfully executed masterpiece and a fitting swan song for António Reis and Margarida Cordeiro. As I mentioned earlier, this was not supposed to be the director's last film. They had plans to adapt Juan Rulfo's "Pedro Páramo" to the screen, and considering their career and style, it would have been an extraordinary work of art.

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