LAFF 2012: ALL IS WELL

A scene from All is Well.

The girls I used to know

By John Esther

A rather impressive directorial debut, director Pocas Pascoal’s film tells the semi-autobiographical tale of two sisters trying to survive in a foreign country as they await the arrival of their mother.

It is 1980 and Alda (Alda Ciomara Morais) and her sister, Maria (Cheila Lima), have escaped the civil-war strife of Angola for Lisbon, Portugal. With very little money and no parental guidance, the two are left to fend for themselves. As the older sister, Alda takes on the majority of responsibilities while Maria comes to grips with her new surroundings and her sexual awakening (although she is younger, Maria has more experience).

Forced to dwell in one rundown room after another, the sisters finally find some stability in a home of sorts, and work of sordid sorts, only to be challenged by fate once again.

The title, All is Well, may be a personal nod to the sister left behind – rather than the filmmaker’s general sentiment over the lost of loved ones – but there is something rather affirming about the way the sisters handle their predicament – especially in light of anti-immigration hostilities in this country. Co-writers Pascoal and Marc Pernet hit the right notes without be mawkish or macabre. Moreover the two leads are fine young actors emitting a universal sympathy even if they mess up on occasion (Although the casting of Lima as an often-starving immigrant raises an eyebrow as she seems to get bigger as the film progresses).

However, the film’s highest attribute is the exquisite framing and direction by Pascoal and director of photographer Octávio Espírito. Michelangelo Antonioni’s films sprung to mind more than once during the film.

Recommended.


All is Well screens at the Los Angeles Film Festival: June 16, 5 p.m., Regal Cinemas; June 19, 8:10 p.m., Regal Cinemas.