Gabriel Abrantes — Director (3)
Birds (2012) [Movie] Douban
director: Gabriel Abrantes
Pagan folk myth is juxtaposed with ancient Greek comedy as three Haitian girls witness disparate forms of storytelling. An old man tells the tale of his wife’s transformation into a goat. In a local village, an elaborately costumed theatre group performs Aristophanes’ Birds in the original Attic language.
Palaces of Pity (2011) [Movie] Douban
Palácios de Pena
director: Gabriel Abrantes / Daniel SCHMIDT
other title: 遗憾宫 / Palácios de Pena
两个相互情窦初开的少女去看望重病的奶奶,结果却神奇的掉到了中世纪,见证当时一场对男同性恋穆斯林的宗教审判;而她们的奶奶就是裁判官。
尽管带有荒诞的穿越元素,但导演意图十分深刻。葡萄牙经历过中世纪宗教裁判所和现代法西斯的噩梦统治,政治和思想的高压潜伏于社会意识之中。奶奶在梦境里对异端的残忍,落在小女孩纯洁的眼中,和现实的慈祥形成强烈反差,更像是割开了葡萄牙民族血管中汩汩流淌的原罪。
电影将两代人的分歧归结为遗憾,不得不说十分贴切:深爱着对方,却始终无法接纳对方的世界。
A History of Mutual Respect (2010) [Movie] Douban
A History of Mutual Respect
other title: 互相尊重史 / 互相尊重史(台)
宛如王家衛《春光乍洩》的開場,狀況的瀑布搭配美國歌手妮娜西蒙的旁白,帶出兩位主角的哲學之旅。當前殖民者轉向經濟依存與瓦解的同時,巴西正處於空前的全球經濟優勢,導演關注於巴西與葡國之前複雜且布爾喬亞式的能動性,開拓異國情調、逃避現實、後殖民語境與人類優生學等主題。