João César Monteiro’s “Lusitanian comedy” is surely the most scatological of all Portuguese cinema. Armed with various references, from literature (Junqueiro, Céline) to music (Quim Barreiros, Schubert, Mozart, Vivaldi, Wagner), and passing through cinema itself (Murnau, Wiene, Stroheim, and Monteiro himself) the filmmaker looks mercilessly at the past, present and future of Portugal, foreseeing a fate that is neither epic nor glorious. From the remnants of Salazarism to the private vices of Cavaquismo, Recordações da Casa Amarela makes us look at these phantoms with a mixture of horror and compassion.

Screening presented by Richard Peña (researcher and programmer).