I Only Rest in the Storm: Enchanting Post-Colonial Melancholy in Guinea-Bissau.
In Pedro Pinho's new cinematic work, a Portuguese engineer named Sérgio works in Guinea-Bissau, facing the intricate power structures of a post-colonial environment. An interlocutor states to him, "What repulses me the most are virtuous men," a line that cuts to the core of the movie's key investigation into European paternalism and hypocrisy.
An Instrument for Observation
The protagonist's detached role allows him to be the perfect witness of contemporary cross-cultural interactions. The story centers on a controversial infrastructure project, with residents split over whether it signifies development or an ecological disaster. These discussions are intensified by themes of destitution, graft, and violence, referenced by the mysterious disappearance of Sérgio's the engineer before him.
"Ethical concerns are a privilege," a local businesswoman reminds Sérgio, highlighting the real-world choices that shape life in a fraught socio-economic landscape.
Shifting Identities and Personal Politics
Sérgio's interactions involve a gender-nonconforming posse based at a local bar, a space presented as a inclusive haven. But, his bisexuality is seen as paralleling a deeper noncommittal approach to life and his place within these communities. He operates between worlds, fully a part of neither one.
The movie's long, talk-heavy exchanges may lack the economical imagery of some contemporaries, but they create a warm and profoundly human atmosphere. By way of these meandering dialogues, Pinho probes not just the situation, but also the filmmaker's own implication as an observer.
A Jarring Conclusion
The film continually fumbles for its own position on significant economic and racial matters. This search reaches its peak in a final sex scene where Sérgio yet again caught in the center, symbolizing his constant state of ambivalence. Regardless of this lack of clear answers, the film's central thesis remains: private life is inextricably political.
