João César Monteiro — Director (12)

Movie

The Last Dive (1992) IMDb TMDB
O Último Mergulho
other title: O Último Mergulho / Le Dernier Plongeon
Eloi, a paunchy middle-aged man, finds Samuel, a young sad sack, about to kill himself by plunging into the sea. Eloi takes Samuel under his wing, giving him a hot meal and bringing him to a seedy night club to introduce him to Esperança, who is said to be the most beautiful sex worker in Lisbon—and is also Eloi’s daughter.

Movie

The Love of the Three Pomegranates (1979) WikiData IMDb TMDB
O Amor das Três Romãs
director: João César Monteiro actor: Margarida Gil / Helena Domingos …
other title: O Amor das Três Romãs
In this highly theatrical TV production, Monteiro again draws on the world of folklore – and, more precisely, on the widespread sexual connotation of the pomegranate – to tell a tale of love, envy, treason and mistaken/double identities.

Movie

Fragments of an Alms-Film (1972) WikiData IMDb TMDB
Fragmentos de um Filme-Esmola
director: João César Monteiro actor: Manuela de Freitas / João Perry …
other title: Fragmentos de um Filme-Esmola / Fragmentos de um Filme-Esmola: A Sagrada Família …
Maria works in a German umbrella factory as the foreman of the production sector. João Lucas has given up on living a normal life and practically lives in bed, in the midst of green plants. His father expressly desired that his son film this eccentric daily life in 8 mm format. Maria’s wages are dilapidated to the last penny by this amateur, monstrous, family movie production.

Movie

The Mother (1979) IMDb TMDB
A Mãe: O Rico e o Pobre
director: João César Monteiro actor: Hermínio Rebelo / Fernando Lavrador …
other title: A Mãe: O Rico e o Pobre
The Mother is one of Monteiro’s first essays on the universe of Portuguese oral culture, folktales and obscure colloquialisms. The plot revolves around a traditional tale about theft, greed, an ubiquitous mother, and the links between the worlds of the living and the dead.

Movie

Hovering Over the Water (1993) IMDb TMDB NeoDB
À Flor do Mar
director: João César Monteiro actor: Laura Morante / Philip J. Spinelli …
other title: À Flor do Mar / À fleur de mer …
Laura Rossellini, a widow from Rome, vacations on the Algarve coast one hot summer. One day while sunbathing, she finds a wounded man named Robert drifting in the surf on a rubber raft. She takes him home, and, after he is revived, learns his story. As they talk, their mutual attraction grows, until a group of armed men suddenly arrive looking for Robert.