The Strange Case of Angelica (2010)
The Strange Case of Angelica (2010)
(O Estranho Caso de Angélica, Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal/Spain/France/Brazil 2010, 97 min., 35mm, Portuguese w/subtitles)
Filmmaking at 80. In this supernatural romance, photographer Isaac (Ricardo Trêpa) is summoned by a wealthy family to create a funerary portrait of Angelica (Pilar López de Ayala), who died suddenly and mysteriously after her wedding. To Isaac’s astonishment, Angelica appears to come to life through his lens, and from that moment he is haunted by her spirit and by love. The film is set in the present while reminiscent of the past, perhaps because director Manoel de Oliveira wrote the script in 1952 but directed the film in 2010 at the age of 101. The Portuguese centenarian lived to be the world’s oldest director with a career spanning from the silent era to his death in 2015.