Mysteries of Lisbon

Mysteries of Lisbon is a narrative film from 2011. It is over 4 hours long. So, while I have not finished watching it this weekend, I watched about two hours of it. The film presents itself as keeping several secrets from the viewer and the protagonist, Joao (later known as Pedro). There are two repeated film devices so far in Mysteries of Lisbon that I noticed added to the story’s layers and sense of mystery.

The first is a very wide shot with a still camera. Within the frame people walking or on horses move through a natural setting –orchard trees or plains. They seem to move slowly, but it is actually the wide, zoomed out frame that makes their actions appear miniscule. These shots of people traveling in vast open spaces also made me worry that these people (sometimes Joao and Father Dinis, J’s protector and the man who seems to know the whole story) were being watched or vulnerable to attack.

The second device is a miniature puppet theatre tableau in between scenes as a transitional tool. The small paper puppets are clearly known characters in the film. They are positioned in the theatre’s stage as they are in the following shot of “real time.” This puppet theatre is Joao’s, who in the beginning of the movie is beaten up by a classmate who also has a troubled history with his parents. Joao does not know who his parents are or were. While he is concussed in bed, his mother brings him this puppet theatre. He sees her in a delirious state and does not know whom he has seen. For me, the use of the puppet theatre places the characters in this rich story of uncertainty, intrigue, and painful histories. As some layers of truths are revealed to Joao, the puppet theatre mirrors individuals’ memories of the past. The theatre’s staging or playmaking of truth and reality aligns well with the live action story slowly unfolding (not agonizingly slowly, but the pacing of this movie is obviously much slower than a 90 minute movie) through scenes in the past and present.