Event

Come and Go (Vai e vem)

(Joao Cesar Monteiro, Portugal, 2003, 35mm, 179 min)
The film is a continuation of the life of Joao du Deus (who appeared previously in Recollections of the Yellow House, God's Wedding and John Wayne's Hips; here renamed Joao Vuvu), a widower, dandy and faux-intellectual. Beautifully incarnated by his director, Joao is an articulate and cultured clown; his movements and dour speeches are captivating throughout. Shot in long static takes, the film is a subversive and captivating romance, involving political commentary and satire, surreal interactions and exchanges (including a maid with excessive pubic hair), dream sequences (where Joao gatecrashes his own funeral) and hilarious monologues. Paying homage to such legendary film comedians as Charlie Chaplin and W. C. Fields, Monteiro balances the gravity of the material with a salacious sense of humor. There's nothing else like it-not even in this highly original filmmaker's body of work.

"Come and Go marks a blazing end to the 30-year career of Portugal's most provocative filmmaker-actor. A master of surreal visual comedy, as an actor Monteiro gives one the feeling of watching a great performer at his deadpan best." -Deborah Young, Variety