Genre: Drama
Director: Raul Ruiz
Stars: Adriano Luz, Ricardo Pereira
****
The late Portuguese filmmaker Raul Ruiz ended his career with this sprawling, four-hour near-masterpiece, which criss-crosses 19th Century Europe to unravel its young protagonist’s complex family history.
The elegant camera movements and highly theatrical compositions evince an old master’s playfulness, while the endless roundelay of plot turns and left-field revelations suggests Days of Our Lives by way of Masterpiece Theatre.
It’s a winning combination.
