Synopsis

In 1984, on the 40th floor, a woman hesitates. Memories come and go, erased by a threatening circle penciled in red on her brain X-ray. Now she determines to jump down. But suddenly, a familiar voice calls her and Amália looks back at her grandfather, in Lisbon, sixty years before, when she sang for the first time in front of an audience. The first biopic of the greatest Portuguese singer is a musical feature in which Fado and symphonic music play alongside a passionate untold story. In the unveiled life of Amália Rodrigues - from extreme poverty to stages all over the world - the camera travels through the private and public moments that inspired the artist’s unique performances and style. The original voice will be heard in remastered 5.1 Dolby. Based on a solid script and various characters performed by some of the best Portuguese actors the plot progresses in a swift and gripping narrative filled with conflicts derived from her real life. Doomed by a brain tumor and a premise, “if there is death, then life is absurd”, Amália goes through decades looking for freedom of singing, searching for a holding hand or for a simple push in the darkness, her favorite element. That is why cinema dressed her in black, the colour of the Fado. The time has come to capture the intriguing smile differently and show the world, on screen, all the feelings hidden for decades in her soul. - Director’s Statement ​

Director

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  • Carlos Coelho da Silva
  • Carlos Coelho da Silva studied film in the United States and began directing in Portugal in 1990. Primarily working as a director for TV series such as Aventura and Idolos, he made his feature film debut in 2005 with Crime do Padre Amaro. He has also directed several documentaries, including Bushy Mush, among other works.