Rent Vitalina Varela (2019)
3.0 of 5 from 124 ratings
2h 5min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Multi-award-winning and hailed as one of the finest films of recent years, Pedro Costa's exquisite 'Vitalina Varela' follows the titular Vitalina, a woman left behind in Cape Verde when her husband leaves to find work in Portugal. Years later, she finally makes the journey to Lisbon herself but arrives three days after his funeral. Alone and isolated in her late husband's home, Vitalina is determined to persevere and confront the ghosts of the past. Haunting, strikingly visualised and marked by a towering central performance, 'Vitalina Varela' is an unforgettable modern masterwork.
- Actors:
- Vitalina Varela, Ventura, Manuel Tavares Almeida, Francisco Brito, Marina Alves Domingues, João Baptista Fortes, Nilsa Fortes, Lisa Lopi, Benvinda Mendes, Emídio Landim Monteiro, Imídio Monteiro, João Raimundo Monteiro, Bruno Brito Varela
- Directors:
- Pedro Costa
- Producers:
- Abel Ribeiro Chaves
- Writers:
- Pedro Costa, Vitalina Varela
- Studio:
- Second Run
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- Cinema Paradiso's Euro 24 Film Festival
- Countries:
- Portugal
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 27/07/2020
- Run Time:
- 125 minutes
- Languages:
- Kabuverdianu DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1, Kabuverdianu LPCM Stereo, Portuguese DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1, Portuguese LPCM Stereo
- Subtitles:
- English, Portuguese
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- An introduction by critic and author Chris Fujiwara
- Pedro Costa in an expansive filmed conversation with Maria Delgado at the ICA Cinema, London
- Pedro Costa: Companhia - a short film about Costa's installation exhibition at the Serralves Museum, Porto
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Reviews (4) of Vitalina Varela
Film-making of the highest order. - Vitalina Varela review by TE
'Vitalina Varela' is the latest film by one of World Cinema's contemporary greats, Pedro Costa. As such it is definitely his most fully realised work to date. It is quite simply a thing of deep, dark beauty.
Nearly every sequence is framed by impenetrable shadow, with the centre of the screen bathed in a pool of subtle light. Costa is a true master of lighting, down to the finest detail. You can freeze the picture at any point and see a superbly composed artwork. No wonder it takes Costa a long time to shoot his films.
The film is the true story of Vitalina Varela's attempts to understand her late husband's life and death in Lisbon. She arrives there from her home in the Cape Verde Islands. The twilight, becalmed world of the Cape Verdeans in Portugal will be familiar to anyone who has seen Costa's previous films.
Vitalina herself is rarely off screen, and she is a powerful presence, with a strong, intelligent face that commands the long, lingering takes.
Love and death are the key themes and it is well worth watching the Q&A with Costa that is included in the special features.
My one regret is that it is hard to see Costa's films on the big screen. I'd love to see this film on a quality system, with good sound and a visual capacity that does justice to the use of light.
3 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Beautiful but boring - Vitalina Varela review by JF
A beautifully shot film following revelations of the titular character in Lisbon following the death of her estranged husband. A short story dragged out to 2 hours is too much.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
For film producers only - Vitalina Varela review by MWDW
This film is excruciatingly slow with the characters only able to crawl along slowly in semi darkness, occasionally partially illuminated by unsubtle shafts of light. So far it is the only world cinema film that I had to switch off after 25 minutes since I was becoming catatonic.
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.