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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Image: © Manon et Jacob and Final Cut For Real
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.