Capitães de Abril (2000)

Captains of April

Recognisable to international audiences for her performances in Henry and June and Pulp Fiction, De Medeiros' directorial debut is a head-on attempt to record the events of Portugal's 1974 revolution, in which a section of the military, disgusted at domestic repression and bloody colonial conflict, instituted a benign coup. If the history is not familiar, then the opening scenes might be disorienting, as a number of characters and strands are introduced quickly into the preface to the uprising, when the singing of a popular tune on the radio signalled the beginning of the non-violent ousting of dictator Salazar. De Medeiros then focuses exclusively on the first hours, weaving personal stories in among the larger social shifts. She displays real commitment to and pride in what happened, but the dramatic challenge in capturing the energy of a largely unopposed takeover goes unresolved. The relative lack of initial context, meanwhile, suggests this labour of love might deliver most effectively for domestic audiences.