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The Portuguese Nun

A Religiosa Portuguesa

France, Portugal

2009

127 Min
Color
1.85:1
French, Portuguese
Subtitled in English
Audio in Portuguese
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
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DIR Eugène Green

EXEC Luís Urbano

PROD Sandro Aguilar

SCR Eugène Green

DP Raphaël O'Byrne

CAST Leonor Baldaque, Ana Moreira, Adrien Michaux, Diogo Dória, Aldina Duarte, Eugène Green

ED Valérie Loiseleux

PROD DES Zé Branco

SOUND Vasco Pimentel

São Paulo (Perspective), San Francisco (World Cinema), Melbourne (International Panorama), Locarno (International Competition), BAFICI (Trayectorias)

Synopsis

Young French actress Julie de Hauranne speaks Portuguese like her mother but has never been to Lisbon. She arrives in the city for the first time just as they are about to start shooting a film based on the Letters of a Portuguese Nun by the Count of Guilleragues, a French nobleman from the 17th century. She quickly becomes fascinated by a nun who prays every night in the chapel of Our Lady of the Mountain, on Graça Hill. During her stay, the young woman has a series of encounters that seem as ephemeral and inconsequential as those from her past. And so, on the night she finally speaks to the nun, she manages to perceive the meaning of life and of her destiny. —mostra.org

Director

Original

Eugène Green

Born in New York, in 1947. After moving to France in 1969, he studied literature, linguistics, art and film history and got a French citizenship in 1976. In 1999, he made his debut with Night After Night, at the age of fifty. In 2001, he received the Luis-Delluc Prize, and gained attention as his second feature The Living World was screened at the Cannes Film Festival 2003. His short film The Signs was also invited to the Cannes Film Festival. He is now working on The Silent Fields, Life is a Dream, and The Portuguese Nun. —Jeonju International Film Festival 

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Ian Vorley

4Aug11

This film represents one of those moments when you realise how much more cinema can be in the right hands. Amongst the finest cinematic experiences I have ever had. Some of the comments below bear out that this movie is not for everybody, however if you are prepared to give yourself over to it, it is incredibly rewarding. Beautiful, immersive, kind of disturbing and, yes, funny!

Mattia 5 likes this

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Lucas Davies

20Jul11

This movie is absolutely atrocious. Long, dull, pretentious; the ridiculous gimmick of having long, long conversations between two people consisting of them looking straight into the camera and talking in a slow, monotone manner... Other than a couple of nice shots, there is NOTHING in the least bit redeemable.

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Horace

7Jun11

"Modern life does not allow for immobility. Either we go to bed, or I take you home."

twodeadmagpies likes this

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msmichel

11Mar11

A somewhat pretencious yet haunting film from Eugene Green. The film is anchored by a luminous, somewhat cold, and strangely adroygnous performance by Leonor Baldaque. Hypnotic and affecting. Heartily recommended for fans of Reygadas and Dreyer.

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Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
W184

"Neds," "Applause," "Mamma Roma," More

By David Hudson on January 22, 2011

"Just when you thought British cinema was in danger of stalling in its default mode — classy crowd-pleasing, with award-worthy millinery

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W184

"Open Five," "Kuroneko," "The Portuguese Nun," More

By David Hudson on October 22, 2010

Via his blog Cinemasparagus and two Twitter accounts (@evillights and @mastersofcinema), Craig Keller has been declaring Kentucker

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W184

The Word Made Image: A Questionnaire for Eugène Green

By Ignatiy Vishnevetsky on October 22, 2010

If there's any modern director who could be called an ascetic of the spoken word, it’s Eugène Green. It’s not that his films aren’t talky;

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W184

53rd London Film Festival: A Round-Up

By Edwin Mak on November 7, 2009

Above: Pema Tsedan’s The Search. Now that the red carpets on Leicester Square have furled, the maddening din over square-jawed celebrities

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Reviews

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PAYING ATTENTION: a Review of Eugène Green’s ‘A Religiosa Portuguesa’ (The Portuguese Nun)

By Alban Goulden on August 7, 2010

There are so many things about Green’s movie that strain the viewer’s credulity: the character Julie de Hauranne (played with careful understatement by Leonor Baldaque) can speak idiomatically fluent…  read review

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