John From

Portugal, France, 2015

Drama

Synopsis

Rita has everything. 15 years and a whole summer ahead of her; a future ex-boyfriend and a best friend to braid her hair. But then, she visits an exhibition from a known neighbor, and her perfect world crumbles around her.

John From Directed by João Nicolau

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Awards & Festivals

Sophia Awards

2017 | Nominee: Best Supporting Actor

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Cast & Crew

Articles from the Notebook

From João

João Nicolau, one of the main voices of contemporary Portuguese cinema, discusses his vibrant feature "John From."

João Nicolau Welcomes You to the Exotic Republic of Telheiras, Lisbon

How can we begin to explain why João Nicolau and his film "John From" are such charming oddities in a Portuguese film scene?

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What are people saying?

saitosouta's rating of the film John From
saitosouta

At first, this depicts 2 cute girls wandering in boringly endless summer with affluent cinematography, making me think this is interesting but ordinary Rivette-esque film. But in latter half, sun-soaked chaos with girl's love & Melanesian cultures changes the world, beyond my cliched imagination, gradually & fundamentally & WHAT THE F**K. Alessandro Comodin & João Nicolau are pared treasures in contemporary cinema.
October 02, 2016 16:55
- 8
- 0
ig_____or's rating of the film John From
ig_____or

Nicolau manages to turn a very banal plot into a catchy and fresh film with a charming combination of fun music, nicely framed shots (specially the architectural elements), some dreamy sequences and that feeling of laziness/freedom we only had during the long summer days. Julia Palha was a very good choice for the leading role, providing the character with the lightness, humor and emotion it demanded.
April 08, 2016 23:32
- 5
- 0
Michael Zyx MH Claes's rating of the film John From
Michael Zyx MH Claes

MY PORTUGUESE GIRL NEXT DOOR. For his first film, NICOLAU glances at Wes ANDERSON, adopting 1 acidic & naive style. After a painful & boring first half, the anecdote becomes pleasant & the end offers a pleasant surprise.= Pour son 1r film, NICOLAU lorgne vers Wes ANDERSON, adoptant 1 style acidulé & naïf. Après la 1re moitié pénible & ennuyeuse, l'anecdote devient plaisante & la fin offre une agréable surprise.
May 14, 2017 05:39
- 2
- 0
EdieEmm's rating of the film John From
EdieEmm

Tepid, formulaic & contrived. As if the people who groom boy bands to be a little bit of everything (but not a lot of much) - or maybe some hamfisted AI that combs through and mimics existing works to make chilling approximations of poetry/art - made an indie film. Also couldn’t help wonder who its target audience was… Still, definitely not the worst. Plus Proust-like accuracy in depicting the 15-yr old mind. 2.75
May 13, 2017 12:53
- 2
- 0
Lucas Granero's rating of the film John From
Lucas Granero

Esquemas juveniles alterados: la lógica del coming-of-age, gastadísima a esta altura, toma vuelos inesperados en John From, donde las hormonas adolescentes afectan el realismo del relato dando lugar a la aparición de lo fantástico. No es una operación sencilla pero Nicolau confía lo suficiente en las dimensiones posibles de la ficción como para su película resulte una oda al corazón de todas esas chicas enamoradas.
April 28, 2016 17:57
- 3
- 0
Daniel Roque's rating of the film John From
Daniel Roque

Seguindo um pouco o fio condutor que mistura documentário/ficção/fantasia de Miguel Gomes, esta história aparentemente simples sobre (como o realizador indica) 'o coração de uma menina' ganha força através da fotografia, dos contrastes cromáticos, dos planos, dos nevoeiros inesperados, e da boa banda sonora - até porque "Lily Allen é fixe".
April 08, 2016 12:58
- 1
- 3
José Neves's rating of the film John From
José Neves

From a director that was one more variation of a cinema-mood-coolness supposedly artistic, via an authorial suspension, as Wes Anderson or Miguel Gomes, this is a gratifying film: an illusory and illusionist fable of growing that, gradually, is taking body of the film and goes beyond the unbearable commonplaces about adolescence (and the ways of filming it) to let be satisfied by an utopic exotic (alien) offering.
April 02, 2016 09:43
- 4
- 0
LauraPalmer's rating of the film John From
LauraPalmer

visual details
February 19, 2017 07:58
- 5
- 1