The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
Storyline
Fernando Pessoa, one of the greatest writers in Portuguese, created an immense parallel world and several heteronyms so as to endure the loneliness of genius. José Saramago, 1998 Nobel Laureate in Literature, has a heteronym, Ricardo Reis, return to Portugal after a 16-year exile in Brazil. 1936 is a perilous year with Mussolini’s fascism, Hitler’s Nazism, Spain’s Civil War and Salazar’s New State in Portugal. And Fernando Pessoa meets his creation, Reis. Two women, Lídia and Marcenda, are Reis’ carnal and impossible passions. “Life and Death as one” allows for literature and cinema.
Cast & Crew
Chico Diaz
Ricardo Reis
Lead
Victoria Guerra
Marcenda
Catarina Wallenstein
Lídia
Luís Lima Barreto
Fernando Pessoa
Dinarte Branco
Colega Dirigente
João Barbosa
Victor
Márcia Breia
Vizinha 1
Luísa Cruz
Vizinha 2
What People Are Saying
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. João Botelho's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
“Every frame feels alive. The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
