O Acidente

"The Accident" offers us a thoughtful story that doesn't focus on the main character Joana in the terms of her personality, but more in the themes of Joana's choices and her inner fight - with the different presurres from her surroundings but also with herself. The plot puts before us a moral dilema in which we are not really sure whose side we are on - which makes us experience the same emotions as Joana thus making us one with the protagonist. Although I must admit that "The Accident" speaks to me much more as a TV film than a picture for the silver screen, it is still a very well made TV film with good cast, serious and contemporary social issues, and decently built plot. And of course I cannot not point out the important theme of LGBTQI+ representation in conremporary cinema in the form of the protagonist - Joana - being in a lesbian couple.

A cyclist has an altercation with a motorist, and is almost run down by her. At first the cyclist, Joana, for some reason keeps the knowledge of the accident from her lesbian lover, but then the driver's son, the passenger in the car, posts a video of the event on his YouTube channel. Joana finds the mother and son and slowly works her way into their lives.

O Acidente is a slow-moving and uneventful film, that doesn't ever make clear any of the motivations of any of the characters and doesn't resolve anything introduced by the end, so it's a rather unfulfilling and undernourished watch, but well-crafted and thoughtful throughout all the same.

5½ /10.

I just finished "The Quiet Girl" 2022, an Irish film about a young girl who in a large family is out of place, much as the character of Joana in this quiet and interesting film.

I can say that there are things that you may feel need explained and that this can be an issue. Ask yourself why these things need to be explained, they don't matter not in the end and of course they can become stones in your path if you let them.

In both films the writer/s, director and literally everyone else involved try to impart to you what it is like to be out of place, to not be consumed by existence but remain a part of it. I could go on to say that the character this and the character that and blah, blah, blah.

I am grateful that there are those more astute than myself who diligently labor to impart to us how and what they see in this world.

All the world is a stage and we each play our part but these young characters are out of place and though they may in the end survive the horrors of existence they impart to us an example of the grace we need to have to achieve our own humanity in this world.

There is no need to discuss the quality of the production, writing or acting, it is all superb.

I'll take the opportunity to suggest, "Tigers Are Not Afraid", 2017, because tigers are not afraid.