Alice

One of the best Portuguese movies ever produced. A simple, straight story about Mario, a father searching for his missing daughter - Alice. Shooted in a dark, depressing way with strong and moving roles. Mario creates an illegal video surveillance network all over Lisbon, watching hours and hours of DV tapes every day in high speed, expecting to see some clue about Alice. One day the search seems to be over. If you like to watch different cinema with alternative views and ideas you can't loose this one! Won a prize at 2005 Cannes Festival. The music by Sasseti is also intense, somehow like some tunes by Tiersen in "Lenin" or "Amelie".

I'm not a big fan of Portuguese movies but this was a step in the right direction for Portuguese cinema. It was shot with great detail and mastery, showing an image with a quality comparable to any Hollywood movie. However the photography was above the average of any typical Hollywood movie for it showed such special care which resulted in an involving touching experience. The soundtrack was very good too and very adequate. It was simple and effective helping to create an environment of deep sadness and anxiety. The plot is very simple and you can figure it out in the first 5 minutes, however this movie isn't about the story, it's about feelings and it is in that sense that I think it deserves, at least, 7 out of 10. The feelings of sadness, anxiety, hope and love are the main theme of this movie, and they are passed on to the viewer in such a sublime way that at the end of the movie you feel you ... (you'll just have to see it) What I tell you is that it's impossible to feel indifferent with this movie.

Only reason I didn't give it a better rate is very personal, I just don't like depressing movies...and this movies does push the same button a little too much.

Everything in this movie is really well done.From the breathtaking performances from the leading actors, the amazing photography, the fantastic soundtrack(which is repetitive,but it relates to the sense of routine the main character has come to terms with) to the way that Lisbon is shot, it is a must-see for anyone who enjoys great dramatic movies.It is great to see a Portuguese movie that IS NOT a Manoel de Oliveira wannabe.It is also kind of minimalistic and slow, but it has it's own way of telling a story.This movie came as a surprise to me because I have never seen a Portuguese movie so well done.It is the supreme evidence that less is more.I can't wait to see Marco Martins' next project.

This movie is one of the best made in Portugal. Nuno Lopes proves that he is a magnificent actor and if he was born in USA, he was a Oscar winner! I hope, one day the world of cinema recognize that. Portugal is a country that doesn't support cinema, but we have genius like Manoel de Oliveira, João César Monteiro, João Pedro Rodrigues, Miguel Gomes, Gonçalo Waddington, Nuno Lopes, Beatriz Batarda, ... Sublime.

The movies is great in all the point that Jorge TC mentioned. but still the movies is way to long and boring, nice soundtrack no doubt, but too much Manoel DE Oliveira wannabe. A good performance by the father, the girl in the shoe store was so pretty. The film is very sad and i think it was very oriented to the story of a Portuguese kid that disappeared and is parents say he was kidnapped. The film is made using some unknown Portuguese actors in the main parts but some more experimented felling the blanks. Not a bad acting and a sad story, to bad for the really slowing pace of the movie. If you liked this movie you really gonna like "Um Tiro No Escuro", way better movie.