Our Beloved Month of August
Sonia Bandeira, Fabio Oliveira, Miguel Gomes
Director: Miguel Gomes
Finally given its first home-video release outside his native country of Portugal, Miguel Gomes' 2-hour film from 2008 boasts a seemingly simple yet intriguing opening sequence.
Having hovered outside a wired chicken pen for a while, a fox senses the gate is actually unlocked and suddenly barges in to wreak havoc among the startled feathered fowl.
Typical of Gomes' idiosyncratic output - Our Beloved Month of August is his second feature film to date, alongside a few shorts - this strange opening salvo has nothing and everything to do with what is to follow. It's hardly referred to again in the film, but it serves as a symbol of the film's ambience, which switches from naturalism into fantasy, the stylistic volte-face taking viewers by surprise - just as the chickens were.
The first half of the film is already a peculiar construction in itself, perhaps taking a cue from the work of Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, whom Gomes has often cited as an influence.
The first hour or so of Our Beloved Month of August is a mix of scenes of live performances of bands in rural Portuguese towns and the angst-ridden existence of the film director (played by Gomes himself) whose location shooting has seemingly caved in due to budgetary and creative blockage.
