The Other One (Conversa Acabada). 1981. Portugal. Directed by João Botelho. Screenplay by Botelho, Helena Domingos. With Fernando Cabral Martins, André Gomes, Juliet Berto, Jorge Silva Melo, Manoel de Oliveira. 4K digital restoration by Cinemateca Portuguesa. In Portuguese, with English subtitles. 100 min.
In his debut feature, João Botelho, a disciple of Manoel de Oliveira (who plays a special role in the film), adapts the published correspondence between poets Fernando Pessoa and Mário de Sá-Carneiro. Botelho’s imaginative art direction—between a sound stage and ingenious theatrical depictions of Pessoa’s Lisbon and Sá-Carneiro’s Paris, where the latter endured an existential exile—and rigorous framing create a work that perfectly reflects Botelho’s own description of Portuguese films inspired by Oliveira: “A presence of literature and especially poetry, a preference for dry framing, very meticulous composition, and unadorned editing. And a lack of money, which makes us do strange things…”.