Embargo

2010
1h 20min

NOTE IMDb

5,5/10

447

MA NOTE

Inspired by the Nobel prize winner Saramago, Embargo tells the story of Nuno who is a man who works in a sandwich stand, but he's also the man who invented a machine which promises to revolutionise the shoe industry. In a time of a petrol embargo, Nuno finds himself in a sinister situation. Blinded by the promise of success and his obsession with achieving his goals in life, he tries desperately to sell his machine. He is mysteriously trapped in his own car and misses the once in a lifetime opportunity to finally present this invention to the world and his life is suddenly embargoed.

Embargo simmers with the same kind of dark comedy humour that can be found in the films of the Cohen brothers. The type of humour that isn't in your face but that you still feel in every bone of your body and that spreads itself around the theatre. The film is based on a short story with the same title by Nobel of literature - Jose Saramago, who has also written Blimunda and Blindness. Antonio Ferreira has created a portuguese film that feels warm, comical and comfortably peculiar.

Lire trailer2:18

3 Videos

13 photos

Comedy Drama Fantasy

Ajouter une intrigue dans votre langueNuno is a man working at a hot dog stand, who also invented a machine which promises to revolutionize the shoe industry- a foot scanner. In the middle of a gasoline embargo and finding himse... Tout lireNuno is a man working at a hot dog stand, who also invented a machine which promises to revolutionize the shoe industry- a foot scanner. In the middle of a gasoline embargo and finding himself in a strange predicament, Nuno becomes mysteriously confined to his car, finding his li... Tout lireNuno is a man working at a hot dog stand, who also invented a machine which promises to revolutionize the shoe industry- a foot scanner. In the middle of a gasoline embargo and finding himself in a strange predicament, Nuno becomes mysteriously confined to his car, finding his life suddenly embargoed.

Voir les informations de production sur IMDbPro

NOTE IMDb

5,5/10

447

MA NOTE

Voir les informations de production sur IMDbPro

Récompenses
- 2 victoires et 10 nominations au total

Vidéos3

Trailer 2:18

EMBARGO (trailer) from the original of Jose Saramago

Clip 3:12

EMBARGO : "O SULTÃO DE ZANZIBAR" - Music Video

Clip 3:12

EMBARGO : "O SULTÃO DE ZANZIBAR" - Music Video

News 4:47

EMBARGO - a festival tour

Photos12

+ 9

Avis des utilisateurs2

5,5447

Avis à la une

7rwdrex

A quirky, imaginative fable.

People have compared this film about a man who gets "stuck" in his car to the Coen brothers. But I found the pacing and symbolism more in line with a Jim Jarmusch creation--with a little David Lynch thrown in.

The story is a simple one. A poor inventor struggles to get his invention sold while balancing a crappy job and trying to keep from failing his family. And just when he's about to get his big break something odd happens--he literally gets stuck in his car.

The film starts out showing us what someone might do to get his dreams realized. In the end the film ends up showing us what that same person would be willing to sacrifice to keep his life intact and his promises kept. Along the way we get a few interesting characters and strange little moments of clarity.

The acting is mostly well done. The direction is good and at times brilliant. The pacing is deliberate--it takes the time to let us experience each scene and the emotions felt. Again very reminiscent of classic Jarmusch like "Mystery Train" and "Broken Flowers".

Don't expect a comedy with lots laughs. There are a few genuine laughs, but this is a somber film with little dialog and action. Not a great film, but a good one. A modern day Aesop fable.

5abboudeus

Un-magical Realism

As a great fan of Jose Saramago's magical realism I was expecting much more from this film. I haven't had the chance to read Embargo due to its elusiveness but it would be interesting to see how the story varies between both mediums.

The notion of the story sounds interesting but the breakdown was not so inviting to give it my full attention. Magical realism loses its touch here as the catalyst proves to be more weak and highly improbable than magical. Moreover, what makes it unbearable is the character's approach to his dilemma in how he fails to explain himself and his mishap while expecting others to simply understand or just cut him some slack.

The implausibility of the twist mixed with the incoherent and unfinished dialogues lend a burdensome feeling to the movie, making it more unappealing to watch as the dialogues continue to make no sense and the character carries on making more of a fool of himself than justifying his situation.

An interesting story line weakly followed through yet worth checking out.