Leonel Vieira's film start is this "A Sombra dos Abutres", which is a good way to test a first-time director's talent to handle bigger stuff. The movie has the north of Portugal during the time of the dictatorship as its backdrop, and shows us the story of two simple men, who have to become more that they could ever be when they see themselves pursued by the regime. The film is a way to tell a simple story, and is also a way to show that in the most simple ways we can find true greatness. I can say that I got out of the theatre satisfied, even though it is a very fogettable cinema experience, to the people accostumed to bigger systems who could produce this story with a much wider range of action and characters. To us, simple portuguese, this shows that not all the movies made here need to be artistic: when someone wants to tell a story in a simple way, you got it. Leonel Vieira shows here that he has much more potential to be exploited - and the T.V. series "Ballet Rose" proves it.
