A talk show radio host has chosen emotions as his theme for tonight’s show, which proves surprisingly banal until he gets a call from an old friend. The friend accuses the host of sexually abusing his son and the atmosphere quickly turns very intense and very dark. The lead performance carries the whole film and keeps you hooked as the story unravels and escalates. Shot mostly in one room, excellent cinematography and sound design help build the suspense using just a few elements. It is not just the pedophilia theme that makes this a powerful and disturbing film—it is how this hidden secret, suddenly exposed, has altered both their lives in unimaginable ways.
Community Partner
Adriano Luz, António Fonseca, Maria João Pinho
Portugal
2021
In Portuguese with English subtitles
Sexual Violence, Child Abuse
Featured in:
International Shorts: Morality Plays
Morals are being challenged on many fronts. The protagonists in this program of short films are all faced with difficult moral choices and they don’t always make the right decisions.
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Turner & Constable
Filmed as a supplement to a blockbuster exhibition at Tate Britain happening right now, this doc in the popular Exhibition on Screen series allows us to view these competitive, complementary English landscape artists side by side.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Mixing documentary and reenactment, this film powerfully evokes the desperate attempts of the Red Crescent to rescue a six year old child trapped in a car under Israeli military fire. Oscar nominee: Best International Film
Victims of Sin
This movie is a hot scramble of piety and passion, sentimentality and sleaze. Ninón Sevilla plays Violeta, a rumba sensation who oversteps when she rescues a newborn from the trash. This gets her fired and wins the enmity of the pimp who fathered the kid.
Sensualidad
Prostitute Aurora (Cuban-born dance queen Ninón Sevilla) gets out of prison and exacts her vengeance by seducing the very married and respectable judge who put her behind bars (Fernando Soler). Eros makes a mockery of rectitude and righteousness.
Credits
Producer
Sandra Faria
Screenwriter
Filipe Melo
Cinematography
Vasco Viana
Editor
Gabriela Soares
Production Design
Juan Cavia
Original Music
Filipe Melo, The Legendary Tigerman, Marante
Director
Filipe Melo
Filipe Melo is a musician, film director, and author. He studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and currently works as a jazz pianist, producer, and orchestrator. He has composed music for film, and directed music videos and award-winning short films. He is also a comic book author whose works have been published in the US, Brazil, France, Poland, Turkey, and Spain.