The Seasons
Maureen Fazendeiro / Portugal, France, Spain & Austria / 2025 / 82 min
Local fables and myths are brought to life in a film with deep roots in southern Portugal where the communal is always at the heart of the culture.
It is summer in Alentejo in southern Portugal. In the dusty light, farmers harvest cork, and a group of archaeologists are busy excavating with spoons and brushes. The elderly sit in a semicircle on a terrace, where a woman sings a socialist song and an elderly man recites an anti-fascist poem. Before the eyes of a shepherd, one of his sheep transforms into a young fairy who sings him a love song.
The boundaries between the present and the past – and between dream and reality – are never clearly defined in Maureen Fazendeiro’s immensely beautiful film, which was shot on analogue film and is based on local folklore and fables, as well as historical notes from the work of German researchers in the area. But even though it is as poetic as one could wish for, political history is never far away in a film in which the community is always at the centre. A cinematic gem from a country with its own unmistakable atmosphere.