Screening
The Maias: Scenes from Romantic Life (Os Maias - Cenas da Vida Romântica)
Presented by the Consulate General of Portugal
New York premiere. Portugal/Brazil. Dir. João Botelho. 2014, 139 mins. In Portuguese with English subtitles. With Graciano Dias, Maria Flor, Filipe Vargas. Adapted from esteemed Portuguese novelist Eça de Queirós’s nineteenth-century masterpiece Os Maias, this sumptuously designed tragicomedy is a sweeping saga of forbidden love and familial decline. It follows the ill-fated bloodline of the fallen Maia family across three generations, eventually landing on 27-year-old Carlos (Graciano Dias), who sets out to restore the clan’s honor by setting up a medical practice in Lisbon. But the allure of illicit romance is strong. The stunningly stylized production design embraces theatrical artifice to create a dazzling storybook world.