As a film enthusiast with a soft spot for personal narratives woven into cinematic masterpieces, I was utterly captivated by Paulo Marinou-Blanco’s latest creation, “Dreaming of Lions.” The film’s poignant exploration of life, death, and the pursuit of inner peace resonates deeply with me, as it seems to have been born from the director’s own experiences.
On the evening of the fourth Red Sea International Film Festival, Paulo Marinou-Blanco, a Greek-Portuguese writer and director known for “Empty Hands” and “Goodnight Irene,” showcased his absurdist black comedy film titled “Dreaming of Lions.” This film delves into the topics of assisted suicide and euthanasia. The screening took place at 10:30 pm, in Jeddah’s Culture Square, which has recently become a hub for films. Despite the late hour, the cinema was filled to capacity. After the audience experienced the emotional ups and downs offered by the movie, they responded with hearty applause, indicating their appreciation for the tragicomic journey they had just embarked upon.
In the film that had its premiere at the recent Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Denise Fraga from Brazil, known for her work in “The Other End,” shares the screen with João Nunes Monteiro, a rising star in European cinema from Portugal, who was recognized as the Shooting Star of 2022 by European Film Promotion. The rest of the cast includes Asun Planas, Dinarte Freitas, António Durães, Alexander Tuji, Victoria Guerra, Sandra Faleiro, Joana Ribeiro (from “The Man Who Fell to Earth”), and Roberto Bomtempo.
The narrative revolves around Gilda (Fraga), a terminally ill individual yearning for an end to her suffering. Her fervent wish is for her agonizing life to conclude swiftly and serenely. However, when her suicide attempts prove unsuccessful, she resorts to seeking professional assistance. This leads her to encounter Joy Transition International, a company that promises a tranquil departure. Within this organization, she crosses paths with Amadeu, who opted for the profession of mortician following his parents’ untimely demise in a “selfie-related accident.” As they are compelled to participate in various peculiar tasks and uncover suspicions about the company’s true nature, they find themselves contemplating taking control of their own destiny.
Marinou-Blanco shares with THR that her insights stem from personal experiences, some connected to my family. Specifically, my father spent a prolonged period in the hospital, despite having no right to end his life. He was a typical Southern European who cherished life, yet found himself trapped and yearning for an end. However, he didn’t have the option to die peacefully.
Back then, the director’s father was no longer able to talk, but he could still sing beautifully. As I remember, one of the songs he used to serenade us with is featured in the movie, titled ‘Maracangalha.’ It’s quite renowned in Brazil.
The film is set in a town named Maracangalha, Bahia, Brazil. The director had always believed it to be fictitious, viewing it as more of a symbolic location than a mere physical place. He expressed this connection was not only personal, being related to his father, but also deeply symbolic, resembling a destination beyond life that we are unfamiliar with. However, during the completion of the film, a friend from Bahia who is a Brazilian producer revealed it as a real location he had visited. Upon checking on Google Maps, the director discovered it was indeed a small town with one road, existing in reality.
His personal experience also plays into the conception of the film and the character of Amadeu. “My personal experience, which is also tragicomic, is that I went through a period, like everyone does, of being somewhat depressed,” Marinou-Blanco explains. “And I had insomnia, just like Amadeu.” One day, he found and downloaded to his Kindle “a book, coincidentally, about euthanasia techniques, such as self-termination techniques,” he shares. “And then one night, I just lay in bed and started to read, you know, ‘put 10 milliliters of the solution into water,’ and I sleep like a baby and have no more insomnia.”
That moment marked a significant turning point for Marinou-Blanco, as it sparked his idea for the film. He recognized that even in the face of adversity, one has the freedom to decide to keep living, not out of obligation but out of choice. This realization, he explains, brought a newfound courage, as it underscored that life is not a prison or a sentence, but rather a personal decision, a choice one makes, even in the toughest circumstances. Alongside his father’s experiences, this insight served as the foundation for his creative journey.
Securing funds for the project turned out to be less challenging than one might assume. As the author and director shared with The Hollywood Reporter, “The initial application for funding with the script was successful in Portugal.” It seemed that many people resonated with the script. Although there were some instances of rejection during the process, it wasn’t particularly difficult overall.
The movie’s name is inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s novel “The Old Man and the Sea”, where the character Santiago envisions lions as a representation of lost youth. Marinou-Blanco explains, “Coming up with titles can be tricky, but I found this image of tranquility, contentment, and joy to resonate with Jill’s desires – something that Gilda may have never experienced or no longer has, and is striving for.
The filmmaker revealed during the festival that his mother had been confined to bed for many years. Naturally, one might wonder what her response was to the movie “Dreaming of Lions“. Marinou-Blanco reminisced, “For a long while, she didn’t wish to read the script. However, after seeing the finished film, she embraced me with tears in her eyes.” He continued, “That was all she needed to say. And she expressed her gratitude by saying ‘Thank you.’ This is because the character of Gilda holds some similarities to her, particularly her resilience and zest for life.
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2024-12-08 00:24