Picture of the film RESTOS DO VENTO (REMAINS OF THE WIND) by Tiago GUEDES © DR
Remains of the Wind: the weight of tradition
Understanding what is hidden behind violence is the goal that Tiago Guedes set for himself with his film Restos do vento (Remains of the Wind), presented as a special screening. A newcomer in the Official Selection, the Portuguese actor and director tells the story of individuals marked by the memory of a pagan tradition they had participated in 25 years earlier.
The drama takes place in a small village in Portugal. Laureano (Albano Jerónimo), Samuel (Nuno Lopes), Judite (Isabel Abreu) and others are confronted with the weight of a shared memory of a rite of passage into adulthood. The use of violence, misogynistic acts: some left their innocence behind to earn belonging into a group of those were stronger. When they meet again, the past comes to light and tragedy emerges.
“The background of this film is the confrontation between the fundamental nobility of the human being and human nastiness, often born of the fear of that which seems strange or of which we are unaware.”
The dramatist, with over thirty plays to his name and who has directed the Avignon Festival since 2021, deals with the duty of memory and the slow progress of hidden violence. Whether the scale be that of a small community or a nation, the issue here is the fear that paralyzes us, prevents justice from triumphing and leads too often to tragedy.
