Rogério Jacques

THE LOVEBIRDS intertwines six stories about love, friendship and survival. The film stars an international cast of American and Portuguese actors who create a colorful mix of off-beat characters that lead us through a complex labyrinth of emotions. Set in the old Romanesque city of Lisbon during the course of one night where love is the art of survival. Written by Anonymous

Set during the Estado Novo dictatorship, in the night of April 24, Pedro hears that the political police, PIDE, assaulted his house. Fearing of what his fate may be, Pedro runs, looking for a place to hide.

Clara and Hans are left-wing terrorists who have been sought by police for almost fifteen years. Their increasingly rebellious daughter Jeanne begins to pose a threat to their security when she falls in love with a boy she meets on the beach.

The story of Lucas, a 13 year-old kid who swears vengeance to the man that abuses his mother in exchange for a miserable life.

Paulo Lima is an engineer responsible for a multinational factory. Due to the recession, the factory receives a visit from the factory's owner's daughter, Luísa, who is sent to increase the factory's profit. Some cuts are due to make.

What side is love on? Vera and Rodrigo are absolutely passionate about each other and get married, having João as the product of their love. But, like any other marriage, their relationship has its ups and downs between intense passion and their differing life views. Vera is a up and coming lawyer and Rodrigo an agronomy engineer. She's an urban woman who doesn’t do well in a rural environment while he loves the country and bulls, not too keen on city life. To make things worse, along comes Eduardo, Vera's boss and a brilliant but vicious lawyer. He hopes to prevent any possibility of reconciliation between Vera and Rodrigo and ensure that Vera keeps full custody of their son João. He wants this because, when he was deployed in Angola as a military, Eduardo swore to Rodrigo’s father João Maria, that he’d have his revenge.

An unlikely love with a happy ending... At age 40, Miguel is at the top of his career as a plastic surgeon, having reached the fame and fortune he worked so hard for. He’s a hopeless bachelor, never committing to any real relationship. This is not just by choice, his situation is a result of never having met his parents and being raised in a children’s home. But, overnight, a simple phone call will change his life entirely, making him recall a point in his life that he’d rather forget. His best friend from the institution was just killed in a car crash along with his wife, but left written instructions behind stating that, if something should happen to him, Miguel should be given custody of his three children, 12-year-old Simão, 8-year-old Jaime and 6-year-old Beatriz. Initially, Miguel will try to dismiss himself from any responsibility but, after meeting the kids, he realizes that he has no choice but to bring them home.

Diogo Almada is a successful account manager at a telecommunications company who is struggling with serious stress and anxiety issues due to the constant state of pressure he lives in. His situation becomes worse when he suffers a stroke which puts him in hospital. There, doctors tell him that if he doesn't slow down things could become much worse for him in the future. He also meets the owner of a vegetables and herbs greenery in Beirais, a small village in the midlands, who is looking to sell it. Diogo then decides to buy him out and risk it as a farmer himself. He wants his girlfriend Teresa to come along with him, but she refuses to leave Lisbon due to her career and also because she doesn't want to give up her city comforts. But Diogo decides to move to Beirais anyway, where he is faced with an entirely different reality from what he’s used to.

Freedom is a state of mind... Carlos, José and Matias are three old friends who have known each other since childhood. José lives with his daughter, his son in law and his nine-year-old grandson Pedro. Being a grandfather is his only true source of happiness. Carlos is retired and spends most of his days tinkering. Matias, on the other hand, is a widower and lives alone and abandoned, as his son is living abroad. Each of them has a strong and contentious character of their own, but they are all joined by a deep friendship. When José is sent to a retirement home, Carlos and Matias set a plan to bust him out. They sneak into the retirement home and take him away from that depressing environment in which he was discarded. They know that they can’t come back home, so they decide to spend a while in Matias’ house up north. But, in the middle of their escape, they find José’s grandson snuck in there. Pedro doesn't want to leave his grandpa and insists on accompanying them in their journey.

Life at 500 mph... Patrícia, Marta, Yara and Weza are flight attendants who share a close friendship travelling between Portugal and Luanda. Filled with humour, strength and hope, these four friends have each other’s back unconditionally, in their highs and lows. As they’re hitting 30, new concerns come up, which they put off, such as marriage, motherhood and their own careers. When confronted with their first big disappointments in their adult lives, they’ll start to question the way they saw their future play out up until then... And the men in their lives as well... Their odd work hours and the distance that separates them leave little room for them getting together so, when their days off match and their flight schedule permitting, they get together and up to speed with each other. When everything in their lives seems to be decided for them, they’ll end up realizing that each day can turn into a new start after all.