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Field of Blood film image, director João Mário Grilo

Field of Blood

Campo de Sangue

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North American Premiere

In this clever metaphysical psychodrama, a grieving writer– tormented by the protagonist of her novel, who has come to life– revisits the story she has written. We see the protagonist await trial for a serious crime. Four women are interrogated as his character witnesses: his ex-wife, who supported him with funds stolen from her new husband; his landlady, who would turn a blind eye to his dishonesty, when convenient; his emotionally detached mother, who feels that only God can judge him; and a pretty woman, pregnant with his child.

The circumstances leading up to the protagonist’s crime are gradually revealed: a lonesome lifestyle steeped in falsehoods; a pathological fixation on a beautiful woman at the beach; and a romance founded in delusion. Years after the ink has dried, the novelist must grapple with the sinister intent of a creation that has spun out of her control. Bolstered by psychologically rich narration adapted from the eponymous novel by Dulce Maria Cardoso, Field of Blood blurs the lines between story and story-within-story to thrilling effect.

Director
Credits
Cast

Carloto Cotta, Luísa Cruz, Sara Carinhas, Teresa Madruga, Fernanda Neves, Suzana Borges

Country of Origin

Portugal

Year

2022

Language

In Portuguese with English subtitles

Film Contact
Content Warning

Graphic Violence

18+
87 min
Drama

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Credits

Producer

Ana Pinhão Moura

Screenwriter

Luís Mário Lopes, João Mário Grilo, Inês Beleza Barreiros

Cinematography

João Ribeiro

Editor

Roberto Perpignani

Original Music

Mário Laginha

Art Director

Silvia Grabowski

Director

João Mário Grilo headshot, Field of Blood director

João Mário Grilo

João Mário Grilo was born in 1958 in Figueira da Foz, Portugal. He has directed several films that have been featured in the world’s most prestigious festivals, such as A Estrangeira (1982), which was in competition at the Venice Film Festival; O Processo do Rei (1989), which screened at the Berlinale and the Toronto International Film Festival; O Fim do mundo (1993), which was selected at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section; Os Olhos da Ásia (1996), which screened at Locarno Film Festival and VIFF; and Longe da Vista (1998), which screened in competition at Venice Film Festival.

Filmography: A Falha (2002); Two Women (2009); Escrita Íntima (2017); Vieirarpad (2021)