This movie, which was the first production of the CPLP, Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa (Portuguese language countries' community) is very touching as the love story it is. It's based on a novel by a cape verdian author (Germano de Almeida) and its scenery is precisely Mindelo, a Cape Verdean town. It's about the ascension to wealth of a poor emigrant, Napumoceno da Silva Araújo, who, with a mix of luck and smartness becomes the greatest commerciant of the region and the wealthiest man. The movie begins with the death of Napomuceno, followed by the reading of his final will (Testamento) which brings the surprise of an unheard daughter of him. Along with the will there are some recordings to be delievered to that daughter, containing in the voice of Napomuceno himself the story of his life. And so, from here on, we get to know through the tapes all his past, his tricks to achieve wealth and, the most important, his love sucessive love affairs and the love of his life, a woman named Adélia...
This movie is not deep in terms of the themes in it, it just portraits one man, or, most of all, one love story. If it is well told, as this was, a love story is enough to make a great movie, like this; the difference between a movie filled with deep thoughts and philosophy and a movie like this is the difference between a scientific or philosophical book and a book of poems; they are both important and can be both interesting, IF they are GOOD, like this movie. I must say that it resembled me Il postino a bit mainly because of the closed surrounding, they're both on unopened towns, but that's just it.
I also give the highest note to the soundtrack, inspired in morna from Cabo Verde and which is very attractive. And it is to mention also the presence of the great diva Cesária Évora singing an excellent "mar azul". The movie is also an excelent way to get in touch with the incredible landscapes of the beautiful Cabo Verde. Worth seeing, if not, for that...
To conclude I want to call the attention to the actor performing Napumoceno, Nelson Xavier, a great brazilian actor, who I knew already from some brazilian soap operas but who has here an outstanding performing, which goes from comic in some sex scenes and speeches to deeply dramatic in other scenes... Excelent indeed, in fact, excelent to all the cast, despite some almost irrelevant imperfections in pronounciation (brazilian actors were using portuguese pronounciation).
Nice beautiful and warm... 8/10
