The Portuguese House

Directed by
Avelina Prat
Cast
Manolo Solo, Maria de Medeiros, Branka Katic

The Portuguese House

Fernando, a quiet geography teacher, is devastated when one morning, without warning or explanation, his wife packs her things and leaves their home in Barcelona to return to her native Serbia. 

Heartbroken and confused, Fernando decides to take a break from teaching and travel to the northwest of Portugal, where he ends up assuming the identity of a gardener who is due to take up a job at a gorgeous old country house on an almond grove. There, he strikes up a friendship with the owner, Amália, who’s not as easily deceived by Fernando’s ruse as he thinks she is. 

Gentle, contemplative and profoundly empathetic, The Portuguese House considers questions of what constitutes identity and the ways we construct our own realities. It’s led by heartfelt performances from Manolo Solo (Pan’s Labyrinth) and Maria de Medeiros (Pulp Fiction), telling a story of second chances, reinvention and the restorative power of embracing a daily life that moves at a slower pace, with a stronger connection to the land.