"This film is a parable about the identity of our country and the spectacle"

After releasing 'O Pátio das Cantigas' in 2015, Leonel Vieira now returns with 'O Pátio da Saudade', a feature film that hits theaters on August 14th.

As the synopsis sent in a press release tells us, the film - starring Sara Matos - is "a tribute to our culture".

"Vanessa (played by Sara Matos) is a television actress who receives the unexpected news of the death of a distant aunt from Porto, who left her an old, ruined theater in her will, a symbol of the golden age of Revista à Portuguesa.

Despite her agent, Tozé Leal (played by José Pedro Vasconcelos), insisting on selling the building, Vanessa feels deeply connected to the theater's memory and decides to gather her friends Joana (Ana Guiomar) and Ribeiro (Manuel Marques) to put on a show capable of resurrecting the theater's former glory. However, her ambition faces resistance from Armando (José Raposo), the owner of a rival theater who will do anything to stop this dream.

This film is another parable about our country's identity and our entertainment industry. It's a story about artists and about artists in Portugal.

In conversation with Notícias ao Minuto , director Leonel Vieira begins by introducing that "cinema has the objective of entertainment" and "also has the need - not the obligation - to tell stories" .

Furthermore, he highlights Portugal's "artistic past and strong theater industry." "It's important to talk about it, because there are generations who don't know, there are people who miss it, and no one talks about it. Nothing should be thrown away. A solid culture, a healthy culture, is one that looks to its past, identifies it, and cherishes it. And it also contributes to modernity and innovation. But it doesn't throw anything away. We have to take a fresh look at what happened to us, what we did, the films we made, the stories we tell."

Referring more specifically to the musical genre, the director comments: "We had a musical tradition, but eventually it fell out of fashion, and fashions are what ruin everything. What we can do sometimes is take a fresh look at it and not think it's unhealthy. Maybe it's both ways: the audience shouldn't reject it from the outset, and the actors should also think, not be so rigid about the formats, and modernize this way of telling stories."

"Cinema has always lived off this, modernizing itself. And at its core, it's always the same, but the form is constantly modernizing. Theater does this too; it's doing better and better in Portugal. I think revue theater can also be this, musicals, and that genre can have a different perspective," he adds.

However, Leonel Vieira emphasizes: "But this film is more of a parable about the identity of our country and our entertainment world. It's a story about artists and about artists in Portugal."

Still, he says that "he thought it would be a good idea to pay tribute to revue theater and remind people that they exist, and that they shouldn't disappear."

"Actually, this came to me in the first story, I didn't come up with this idea. I found this story and I liked it, I just wanted to give it a spin to write it how I think I see this story today. I rewrote the entire script and changed the protagonist, who was a man, into a woman, and in doing that you have to change the entire structure of the story," he explains.

Our country is not the one that invests the most in industries - neither cinematographic nor theatrical.

During the conversation with Notícias ao Minuto , addressing the fact that José Raposo's character initially starts with a certain attitude of envy and then gives a helping hand to Sara Matos' character, and when asked about whether he sees art professionals acting in this way and about the unity within this artistic class, Leonel Vieira highlights:

"I'm not painting a portrait of anyone. I'm not taking a social X-ray, I'm just telling a story. Actors love what they do, they love their work, and when they're called to join forces, they join forces and give their all for the work. Often, it's not the actors' fault, it's the system. Our country isn't the one that invests most in industries—neither film nor theater. Therefore, often, the difficulties don't come from them, but from the country's own industrial structure, which is more deficient."

In the film, Sara Matos's character is recognized several times for having worked as a model, having posed in a bikini. When asked about this aspect of the film, which could be interpreted as an 'objectification' of women, the director explains why he included it in the narrative.

"I think they do that a lot with actors. I'm in it, I know them. The public does that too much. In general, people are too quick to judge others ," he begins by saying.

"And they don't even know if they're better or worse actresses, if they have room to progress. I hear comments and I see... And it's wrong. It's more common than people think. This is very much the paradigm of an actress. An actress in Portugal has to make a living from television because it's the place where there's the most work, the most regular work. It's usually not what they like to do most, but it's where they survive, where they have stability ," she comments.

"Then they're passionate about theater, but they all want to do great plays, they want to do Shakespeare, because that's the soul of an actor, it's legitimate. They want to do plays that fulfill them. And then they all dream of being in a big film to travel, for everyone to recognize them. That's an X-ray that, yes, I'm in it, I know it's very common. Not all of them are, I know actresses who aren't like that."

"I'm not talking about the whole world, I'm talking about one story, I'm telling one story among a thousand that could be told. I told this one, it could just be the story of an actress, but it's for people to think about a little. Basically, I'm trying to create a story around this, the conflict of an actor's life in Portugal," he emphasizes.

We all hope it's a success. I believe it will be less than 'O Pátio das Cantigas'. It's very difficult to reach numbers like that.

Recalling the success of 'O Pátio das Cantigas' in 2015, which at the time became the "most-watched Portuguese film ever in cinemas with more than 600,000 spectators", as the press release states, Leonel Vieira "hopes that this film will also be a success".

"No film has the obligation to repeat tradition; no son has to be as good as his father. That's not the point. We all hope this film will be a success and we're working towards that, but with whatever box office numbers it has. I believe it will be lower than 'O Pátio das Cantigas'. It's very difficult to reach those numbers. That case is unique in the country's history," he shares.

Finally, the director also sent a message to the Portuguese people to go to the cinemas and choose 'O Pátio da Saudade' from August 14th onwards.

"You'll see a Portuguese story in which you'll see humor, you'll also be moved, and you'll leave with a good feeling in your soul for having seen a film that, from time to time, feels good to us. We're not ashamed to see something that is Portuguese and to see ourselves, the Portuguese, and to see the Portuguese within a story."

Produced by Volf Entertainment, filmed in Lisbon during the summer of last year, with a script by Leonel Vieira, Alexandre Rodrigues, Manuel Prates and Aldo Lima, the cast of this film also includes names such as Gilmário Vemba, José Martins, Alexandra Lencastre, José Pedro Gomes and Carlos Cunha.

The film, also worth highlighting, received the Canal Hollywood Award at the last edition of the Encontros do Cinema Português, in the category of National Film with the Greatest Blockbuster Potential.

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