In Vanda's Room

In Vanda's Room

2001 · 171 min · ★ 6.7 · Drama

An unflinching, fragmentary look at a handful of self-destructive, marginalized people, but taking as main focus the heroin-addicted Vanda Duarte.

Directed by Pedro Costa · Written by Pedro Costa

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Make it a double feature

4h 35m together

Both from Pedro Costa.

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Hovering Over the WaterHovering Over the Water · 1986
Hovering Over the Water
★ 7.51986
MovieDramaRomance
Laura Rossellini, a widow from Rome, vacations on the Algarve coast one hot summer. One day while sunbathing, she finds a wounded man named Robert drifting in the surf on a rubber raft. She takes him home, and, after he is revived, learns his story. As they talk, their mutual attraction grows, until a group of armed men suddenly arrive looking for Robert.
Duma Vez Por TodasDuma Vez Por Todas · 1987
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★ 7.51987
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Lisbon by night, through the eyes of a young woman who lives freely, and a neighbour who follows her everywhere, from a distance.
Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie? · 2003
Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?
★ 7.42003
MovieDocumentary
Undaunted by a commission to make a film about his mentors and aesthetic exemplars, the filmmaking team of Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, Costa records with great sensitivity and insight the exacting process by which the two re-edit their film Sicilia!, discussing and arguing over each cut and its effect. Incorporating comments about the influence of figures as diverse as Chaplin and Eisenstein, about the ethical and aesthetic implications of film technique and such matters as rhythm, sound mixing, and acting. The film becomes a tour de force, immersing us in the mysteries of cinema as practiced by some of its greatest creators. Costa calls the film both his first comedy and his first love story.
Change NothingChange Nothing · 2009
Change Nothing
★ 7.42009
MovieDocumentaryMusic
One of the most important figures in contemporary cinema, Pedro Costa's celebrated music documentary is a mesmerizing portrait of French actress-turned-singer Jeanne Balibar, a transfixing, cigarette-smoking chanteuse with an intense devotion to her craft. Photographed in shimmering black-and-white and featuring a soundtrack of jazz-inflected pop songs, the film is a luminous exploration of the creative process.
Horse MoneyHorse Money · 2014
Horse Money
★ 7.22014
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While the young captains lead the revolution in the streets, the people of Fontainhas search for Ventura, lost in the woods.
Sweet ExorcistSweet Exorcist · 2012
Sweet Exorcist
★ 7.02012
Movie
A participant in a coup d'état by young commissioned officers, Ventura loses his way within the woods. Eventually, Ventura is admitted into a mental hospital where he has conversations with "ghosts" of the past in the hospital's elevator.
Casa de LavaCasa de Lava · 1995
Casa de Lava
★ 7.01995
MovieDrama
The film tells a story of Mariana, a nurse who leaves Lisbon to accompany an immigrant worker in a comatose sleep on his trip home to Cape Verde. The devoted Portuguese nurse took a journey only to find herself lost in abstract drama.
BloodBlood · 1989
Blood
★ 7.01989
MovieDramaMystery
Nino, tough but sickly, and his older brother Vicente live in the country with their father. After their father disappears ― we’re never sure why ― murder is suggested. Vicente brings his girlfriend to the house, and a different kind of family is established as the three youngsters grow fiercely protective of each other. But their uncle grows suspicious about the fate of the missing father and forcibly kidnaps Nino, taking him away to the city and leaving Vicente to locate him there.
OssosOssos · 1997
Ossos
★ 6.81997
MovieDrama
After a suicidal teenage girl gives birth, she misguidedly entrusts her baby’s safety to the troubled, deadbeat father, whose violent actions take the viewer on a tour of the foreboding, crumbling shantytown in which they live.
The 13 RosesThe 13 Roses · 2007
The 13 Roses
★ 6.62007
MovieDrama
True story of thirteen totally normal young women that suffered harsh questioning and were put in prison under made up charges of helping the rebellion against Franco back in the 1940s. Despite of their innocence, the thirteen were soon executed without even a trace of evidence of any wrong doing.
Vitalina VarelaVitalina Varela · 2019
Vitalina Varela
★ 6.52019
MovieDrama
A Cape Verdean woman navigates her way through Lisbon, following the scanty physical traces her deceased husband left behind and discovering his secret, illicit life.
A Portuguese FarewellA Portuguese Farewell · 1986
A Portuguese Farewell
★ 6.21986
MovieDrama
In Africa, during the colonial war, a patrol is lost in the bush and a soldier dies in operation. Twelve years later, in Portugal, the soldier family meets in peace.
Our ManOur Man · 2010
Our Man
★ 6.12010
MovieDrama
O Nosso Homem (Our Man) is a short variation in the line of the trilogy Pedro Costa has devoted to the habitants of the Fontainhas quarter, which has been destroyed in the meantime. It can be considered as a sort of appendix to the third part, Juventude en Marcha (Colossal Youth), in which the hero, Ventura, reappears as one of the four characters of this dialogue of hopelessness.
The Daughters of FireThe Daughters of Fire · 2023
The Daughters of Fire
★ 6.02023
MovieDramaMusic
The story of three young Cape Verdean sisters upon their arrival at a foreign European port, in an attempt to escape another devastating eruption of the volcano Fogo. In this unknown country, they roam, hand in hand, evoking their secret fears through music and singing.
MemoriesMemories · 2007
Memories
★ 5.52007
MovieDramaDocumentary
Previously focused on Asian directors, “Jeonju Digital Project 2007” takes a look at Europe. The Portuguese filmmaker Pedro Costa, the German filmmaker Harun Farocki, and the French filmmaker Eugène Green participated in this project.
The State of the WorldThe State of the World · 2007
The State of the World
★ 5.32007
MovieDocumentaryDrama
Six directors, six independent films, six visions on the state of the world. Each carrying a unique and personal interpretation of a specific experience, their crossover creates new space for a dynamic and radical inquisitive reflection.

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