Alice (2005)

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It's a movie that doesn't have a lot happening but is so emotionally intense that it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's so well done, with attention to every detail to sympathize with the Mario character (the gray tone of the picture, the blue hope of the daughter's coat, the gloomy and rainy city, the indifference from the crowd/ people, the isolation of the suffering character, even Mario's fake smile when he acts on stage...). I would like to respond to a question that one of the reviewer asked (essbcn from Barcelona), regarding the Lewis Carroll's quote at the end of the movie. Of course, this is only what I believe and shouldn't be seen as "The" only explanation. Marco Martins, the movie director, refers twice to Lewis Carroll's "Alice's adventures in wonderland".The first time, when Mario walks by a wall with drawings of the White Rabbit carrying his pocket watch (note that the drawing repeats itself), it symbolizes Mario racing against time and repeating on the daily basis the same actions of a fruitless search (nursery school, suit cleaning, changing and watching tapes, acting in the theater play, walking the city….and so on). The second time, in the movie credits with the quote: "but the wells of fantasy always end up by draining and the tired storyteller tried to escape as he could; tomorrow the rest – it's already tomorrow!" "The wells of fantasy always end up by draining": the fantasy is nothing else than Mario's hope of finding his daughter and the wells are all the possible ways (such as tapes, pamphlets, walking in the city and so on...) that he uses to feed his hope. It's a hope which is drained and dying on a daily basis just to be reborn and replete the following day. "and the tired storyteller tried to escape as he could;": the tired storyteller is Mario who tries to escape the insanity of this fantasy. Knowing that the reality is obscure, he tries to grab on what's left of his sanity to keep on with his search and the hope of finding his daughter."tomorrow the rest – it's already tomorrow": There is no more today or tomorrow for Mario, since the search is the only reality that he knows. But it means too, that the hope is always there.

This movie by Marco Martins is the portrait of two characters played by Nuno Lopes and Beatriz Batarda (best Portuguese actress ever) whose child disappeared, Alice. Watching "Alice" isn't watching one of the more award-winning Portuguese author movies, that keep saying nothing about Portuguese culture or society. "Alice" is truly a masterpiece. Not of directing, but the film as a whole is an impressive piece of art. The score played by Bernardo Sasseti is surely one of the best we've ever listened to, not just in Portuguese cinema but in others too. The music fully transmits the father's loss, and on the other half the cinematography, with the blue tone of color during the entire picture, haunts us with Alice's presence, beside she never appears in the entire picture, but she's the reason the movie happens. The movie is about hope, and absolutely about it's loss, because we fight so many in time to achieve something that sometimes we get tired and quit on the edge. "Alice" quits

"..A father searching for his missing daughter.." That is as much as you should know beforehand; a large part of the film's genius is in its pacing. Without narration, without explanation, the camera gives us a steady succession of images to puzzle over that slowly, with sparse dialog, start piecing together. A simple story that tells itself slowly and broodingly, its bleakness and despair underscored with grim lighting and tight, restrained acting.*** possible spoilers *** As the camera first follows Mario wandering between cars on the highway it shows very little of what's going on. Mario's worn, expressionless face and his lurching progress through the traffic hint at some interaction with the drivers but one is left to wonder if he's there to clean windshields, to sell Kleenex... Eventually, in a parking lot, we see that he's distributing flyers but again the camera withholds the detail and one is left to suppose that it's propaganda that he's slipping under windshield wipers. Finally, as he distributes them to indifferent pedestrians, the camera shows us a flyer with its foto of the missing Alice.¡¡I applaud this pacing!! The same pacing continues with Mario's checking of the first camera. One is left to wonder, to search for the logic of events. We still don't know who Mario is: we saw him leave a woman's bed in a cramped apartment in the early morning, we saw his mute progress through the streets with the flyers, now he's let himself into this well appointed loft or office and gone about his routine of changing the video cassette... Who is Mario? Why does he leave with so many keys? He doesn't distribute propaganda for a living, does he house-sit? Everything comes clear, at its own speed. The flashback in the middle, presented as it is without demarcation, is disorienting at first but also becomes clear.The acting is flawless and without artifice. One isn't given enough distance to admire the acting, as one is too involved with the characters and their inner workings. Mario (Nuno Lopes), with whom we begin to sympathize as we realize the method to his madness, has a clarity of purpose that holds him together and keeps him going. The collusion of those who assist him in his search also serve as moral support; when his logic is questioned, or when a supporter fails him, he is threatened. Luisa (Beatriz Batarda) is shattered and unable to heal precisely because of Mario's unwavering purpose. Although she was the outwardly distraught of the two when Alice first disappeared, one has the sense that she could put it behind her and start again, if only Mario would return to her. She can't fathom the french-fry uniformity that Mario has made of their days.*** definite spoilers *** My only grievance with this film is the predictability of Mario's breakdown in the moment where he renounces his search. Perhaps, rather, it is inevitability. It rings true, but one sees it coming well in advance. Mario's tortured thrashings in his studio as he scatters photographs is the one sequence that borders the artificial, smacking more of contemporary dance than of spontaneity.The conclusion of the film was, for me, pure genius. I found it impossible, given the tenor of the film, that Mario would eventually find Alice. What I never even considered was that he would miss her. It made me wonder how many other times he might have passed her in the crowd, moments outside of the narrative of the camera.I missed the quote from Alice in Wonderland at the end of the credits; ¿can anyone enlighten me? *** end spoilers *** In conclusion, I recommend Alice to any and all who have the patience to let the film unfold. Myself, I'll be looking out for other work by Marco Martins, Nuno Lopes and Beatriz Batarda! Two thumbs up.

Everything in this movie is really well done.From the breathtaking performances from the leading actors, the amazing photography, the fantastic soundtrack(which is repetitive,but it relates to the sense of routine the main character has come to terms with) to the way that Lisbon is shot, it is a must-see for anyone who enjoys great dramatic movies.It is great to see a Portuguese movie that IS NOT a Manoel de Oliveira wannabe.It is also kind of minimalistic and slow, but it has it's own way of telling a story.This movie came as a surprise to me because I have never seen a Portuguese movie so well done.It is the supreme evidence that less is more.I can't wait to see Marco Martins' next project.