Sorte Nula

"Sorte Nula" is the #1 Box Office Portuguese movie of 2004. This extreme low budget production (estimated USD$150,000) opened during Christmas opposite American Blockbusters like National Treasure, Polar Express, The Incredibles and Alexander but rapidly caught the adulation of the Portuguese moviegoers. Despite the harsh competition, the small film did surprisingly well, topping all other Portuguese films of the past two years in its first weeks. The film is a mystery/murder with a humorous tone cleverly written and directed by Fernando Fragata who has become a solid reference in the European independent film arena. Did I like the film? Oh, yes!

who reads these comments may think we may have in hand a great movie. I am Portuguese and I'm ashamed that this film became a blockbuster in Portugal. It can't really call this cinema. The direction and "mise-en-scene" is basic (even Ron Howard does better!); the script is bad and pretentious (a really bad Tarantino); the cast is covered in TV stars, models and reality show stars that don't no nothing about acting. When you put in a movie this ingredients of course that the fans of this kind of TV shows will all go see. i am also surprised that people who make comments here in IMDb say that this movie is a masterpiece. I thought that this site was only for people who truly like cinema and understand a little bit of it. All the movies made to be blockbusters in Portgal always use the same ingredients and are always awful. if you think this movie is reasonable, please don't say your love movies and cinema.

It is fantastic! A sick and twisted tale of coincidence and deceit.

The story is meticulously and ingeniously constructed. It is really a perfect mixture: it has all from suspense to humor and the story is told with lots of originality... The film is built up like a puzzle which is assembled piece by piece, and resolves the story... For the viewer there are plenty of surprises till the end!! I also had a little impression that the director has been inspired by some Hitchcock work. I've also seen films before where you see the same event happening from different points of view but this film goes beyond that. In this movie everything is built upon what happens to a body that appears and disappears and appears again in a different location. Every actor in the story has his own secret and we come to realize it in a way that contributes to assembling the puzzle.... I loved especially the dark humor scenes...which made laugh the whole theater.... This movie is a must see for everyone!

Despite its ultra low budget, "Sorte Nula" is the most successful Portuguese film of 2004. And I must say, a well deserved success. What I love about "Sorte Nula" the most is the intricate detail that Fernando Fragata went to keep you interested as to what is going on and just what will happen next. It's very detailed and superbly advanced for a seemingly simple love-story-gone-bad thriller. What's even more enjoyable and ironic about this is the fact that the characters are in the same situation, not one of them knows the entire story and are left to their own assumptions making "Sorte Nula" a cut above the rest. This is definitely not a film you want to walk out on for a bathroom break as you will undoubtedly miss something important. I feel one of the film's major attributes would have to be the environment that it establishes. It's creepy but hilarious at the same time. I read somewhere someone quoting this film by saying, "...it's was like watching Hitchcock..." and I couldn't agree more!! I love movies like that, where you have to pay attention to EVERYTHING in order to fully understand what is going on. 9/10

Yesterday I finally satisfied my curiosity and saw this movie. My knowledge of the plot was limited to about 60 seconds of the trailer, but I had heard some good critics which caused my expectations to increase.

As I saw the movie, those untied pieces had been combined in a story that was becoming quite intriguing, with some apparently inexplicable details. But in the end, everything is disclosed as a simple succession of events of bad luck, "sorte nula" in Portuguese. Above everything, I felt that the story made sense, and everything fits in it's place, properties of a good script.

I must also mention the soundtrack, which helps the creation of an amazing environment.

And if you think of the resources Fernando Fragata used to make this film, I believe it will make many Hollywood producers envious...