Will-o’-the-Wisp. 2022. Portugal . Directed by João Pedro Rodrigues. Screenplay by Rodrigues, João Rui Guerra Da Mata, Paulo Lopes Graça. With Mauro Costa, André Cabral, Joel Branco. 67 min.
The year is 2069 and the King of Portugal, on his deathbed, reminisces about the tumultuous years of his youth. In those days, the scrawny young prince, staring down impending climate catastrophe and the COVID-19 pandemic, defied family and duty to become a volunteer firefighter. In the hands of João Pedro Rodrigues, the tale of the young royal’s sexual and political awakening amid firehouse pranks and homoerotic romps becomes a gleeful, caustic, titillating adventure that careens across time to the sound of fado and Euro pop. Grappling with legacies of colonialism and monarchy in Portugal, this queer eco-fantasy, surely one of the most original films of the year, affirms Rodrigues as a razor-sharp storyteller and an audacious stylist.
For members at the Explore category and above, tickets will become available two weeks before the screening date, starting at 10:30 a.m. Additional tickets will be available to members and the general public one week before the screening date, also at 10:30 a.m. Please note that space is extremely limited and tickets will be in high demand.