Our Beloved Month of August

Deep in the Portuguese mountains, the population and its activities swell during the month of August. People come home, set off fireworks, perform karaoke, hunt wild boar, drink beer, and make children. "Centered in and around the small town of Arganil in central Portugal, the film is a multi-faceted, playful yet earnest foray into the border zone of narrative filmmaking, starting with what might turn out to be a key image for Gomes: a vixen sneaking around a henhouse until she can find a small gap. The fevered clucking of the birds and a few flying feathers make up the last moments of this scene, which has no clear connection to the rest of the film but serves up an image open to various interpretations. OUR BELOVED MONTH OF AUGUST works best as a kaleidoscope, blending documentary, fictional and metafictional elements into one sturdy yet tender film, which is less interested in handing out an operating guide to the viewers than in standing on its own legs as an autocratic and anarchic piece of cinema. Markus Keuschnig, fipresci.org