Arquivo

Sonia is a young woman from St Petersburg, Russia, aged twenty or so, and she longs for a better life. She obtains a passport and sets off on a trip that takes her to the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy and, eventually, to Portugal. Her journey deteriorates into a descent into hell as Sonia finds herself involved in an international network of prostitution. She lives through innumerable difficulties: kidnapping, suffering, insanity, loneliness, violence, and humiliation. In addition to the fear that envelops and permanently oppresses her, there is also overwhelming incomprehension because of the different languages she does not speak and social behavior she is not familiar with. However, she does not lose heart and redemption seems possible by means of a love affair. Director Teresa Villaverde says we "are living in times like these, in which nothing we have is guaranteed for ever, in which all may fall to ruin. This is a film about one part that fell apart." Paulo Branco, one of the main producers in Portuguese cinema, with more than 200 features in his curriculum, is the name behind Manoel de Oliveira’ work since Amor de Perdição (shown at the 3rd and 29th Mostras).