José Lopes

A group of veterans from the Portuguese Colonial War reunites today. Among songs and memories, the past takes over them.

Strangers cross paths on a bus ride at night.

The recollections of a Portuguese teacher in the present will make us follow his father, Manuel, former fighter in our colonial war and constantly tormented with those memories. He'll walk us through the depths of the physical sites that haunt him - from training barracks to the lakes and gardens of his youth and infatuation - and also to his memory's gulf - war and passion combined, entangled, in a battle that questions or howls immemorial existential doubts.

Through the most secret, arid and wild routes, a man approaches a big city. He looks at it from the top of a hill and feels like a stranger, having left years ago. He seems to recognize the surrounding landscape but, at the same time, feels unable to remember this environment that attracts and repels him. Conflicted, he searches for familiar friends, acquaintances, places and a daughter, who reached out to him so long ago. Finally discovering a haven where he feels at home, he leaves again.