Second Life

I recommend anyone to see this film. It is a pure cinematic experience: the music is astonishing, the images are beautiful, the acting terrific and the story keeps you guessing as all times. It is a complex story with lots of questions. I think a lot of people do not try to follow it, and so then they criticise it, which is more reflection them than the film. Also, any Portuguese person is interested to see so many of their greatest national names in the one film. Compared to the standard Portuguese film this is a film that raises to new heights what Portuguese cinema can do and achieve. I think Alexandre Valente is a producer that many people love to hate because he is so successful, because is a smart producer, he understands very well the *whole* approach to film - the images, the story, the music, the acting, the promotion, and he bring all these parts together to make a winning film.

I went to cinema Sunday and it was full! Not an empty seat. Two weeks ago I went to "Contract" and 5 people were in the cinema.

Any Portuguese man and woman should support our local films but we are always so rude, so nasty about our own films. We a country of just 10 millions and America has 250 millions and billions of dollars to the industry. We have so little money, our films mostly look amateur because the budget is so small, and here for the first time is a film that looks and feels more like a big budget Hollywood film, the movie is beautiful and the direction amazing, and people are still complaining.

I say bravo! bravo! bravo! - see this film!

I always had shame on the Portuguese Cinema. The pseudo called authors like Manoel Oliveira, João Botelho only make films to themselves, they are selfish filmmakers. I went to see Second Life cause of the fuss about it, waiting to hated it like any Portuguese film that I saw on the past. I was so surprised, I thought that was a great cinema experience. A simple story, that make us wonder, just that (why so many comments on the depth of it...it's clear that the intention of the authors is not that). The music is brilliant, Sasseti never stops of wondering me, Acacio light is simple and great and it's shoot in a beautiful way. If going to the cinema means having emotions and forget the real world so Second Life makes the job and scores high. I just didn't enjoyed the sequence of Figo, for me was the weakest moment, but it's a quick moment and the structure of the film holds it good. This film is simply the best Portuguese film ever made till now, and deeply respects the audience. A small note, I was verifying the rates that our Portuguese critics gave to the film and I notice a funny coincidence, they rated it so badly as films like "Vicki Cristina Barcelona" or "Revolutionary Road", strange isn't it?

Watching portuguese actors speaking english (and italian!) is usually laughable, but it reaches new heights here. a nude scene with no logic, a girl opens her legs and the cop finds the drugs... awesome! a plot that leads to nowhere, but tries to be "smart" while it doesn't make any sense.

this is a movie that attempted to reach foreign audiences- mostly poland due to the main actor- and according to the producer/director Alexandre Valente "one of the places in europe where people still go a lot to the movies". and this is the reason why the guy is polish.

we have pretty bad movies in portugal. for me, this is the utmost example of it. i don't see anything redeeming on this.