Fado Blues

Running time: 111 mins

"Crime is an equal opportunity profession-anyone can do it."

Amadeu and Leonardo are friends scraping to make a living in Rio. Dreams drive their lives. For the irascible and down to earth Amadeu, always trying to make a buck from tourists, his dream is to make his life worthwhile; for naïve dreamer Leonardo, yearning for the excitement of crime novels, it is to become a famous writer.

Their plans lead nowhere until Lia, a gun-toting femme fatale, right out of one of Leonardo's beloved pulp novels, crosses their path. Thrust into the underworld of Lisbon, the two friends get more than they bargained for when they join a gang specializing in art theft.

The latest offering from veteran Portuguese director Luis Galvão Teles (Elles, Cinequest Audience Choice 1999), Fado Blues modulates from the lilting rhythm of light comedy to the suspense of film noir. Both a witty parody of crime dramas and an exciting heist thriller, it is an intriguing look at how "crime is the only democratic profession."

Fernando F. Croce

MAVERICK COMPETITION