Autumn review – amazing landscape plays central role in Portuguese wine-family drama

Set in the Douro valley, Antonio Sequeira’s softly drawn portrait of a family in flux never quite ferments to anything more than a light tipple about the passing of timeThis wistful Portuguese film is a pointillist portrait of a nuclear family over the course of an eventful year; it has plenty of earthy flavour, perhaps like the wine the paterfamilias of the story, Otávio (Miguel Frazão), produces on his small plot in hills above the Douro river. In oenological terms, you can really taste the terroir – the land on which it’s made – with notes of nostalgia and melancholy and a tangy, slightly humorous spice. But there’s also maybe a touch too much sweetness in the blend, given writer and director Antonio Sequeira’s script occasionally slips into a tannic, sentimental theatricality. If it weren’t for the fact that the stunning landscape plays such an integral part in the film’s atmosphere you’d assume that this must have started as a stage play given the tidy scene breaks, dividing the story into four consecutive seasons.In the first act, Otávio and his wife, Susana, (Elsa Valentim) are busy preparing to say goodbye to their eldest child Tomas (Salvador Gil), who is about to go off to university in London. As Tomas packs and Susana fusses trying to find the mislaid bongos he wants to bring with him, Otávio comforts himself by treading his grape harvest with his own feet – an old-school method that could be done in seconds, as Tomas says, if he hired in some equipment. Younger sister Belinha (Beatriz Frazao, who does the most convincing job of ageing over the course of the movie), worries about surviving the coming year with her annoying parents without Tomas around to take some of the heat. The act ends, like each of the subsequent segments, with the family seeing Tomas off on the train. By the spring, he’s back home with a new girlfriend (Krupa Narci Givane) whose Portuguese is not good enough to understand Otávio’s racist jokes, much to the younger characters’ relief. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Todd Chrisley’s daughter Savannah reacts to Trump pardoning her parents of fraud convictions

Independent

Comments

Similar News

Practical Magic 2 gets autumn 2026 release date

Culture

Todd Chrisley’s daughter Savannah reacts to Trump pardoning her parents of fraud convictions

Martin Clunes left disappointed as ITV cancels well-liked series

Harry Potter has cast Harry, Ron and Hermione – good luck to them, they’re going to need it

The White Lotus creator Mike White returns to Survivor for season 50 after beloved 2018 appearance

How abandoned railway station in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens refuses to be forgotten

'People were cheering English people getting killed' - Do we need another Braveheart?

Lindsay Lohan quits Netflix rom-coms for good after ‘manifesting’ her next role

Adolescence star Ashley Walters says show changed the way he parents his children

Scotland's longest-running outdoor music festival reveals it is 'under threat'

GALA 2025 review: officially London's coolest dance music festival

Completely free streaming service adds iconic 90s horror before remake hits cinemas

Trump vows pardon for reality-star family the Chrisleys

Who is Arijit Singh? Bollywood superstar set to make history headlining UK stadium show

Ash Sarkar: ‘Keir Starmer has all of Blair’s weaknesses and none of his strengths’

JK Rowling says she ‘couldn’t be happier’ about Harry Potter casting announcement

Famous stone circle to welcome first artists-in-residence

What is romantasy? And who is the Scottish author leading the way?

Kylie live at the O2 was pure euphoric joy

UK band robbed at gunpoint on US tour say ‘America is the greatest country in the world’

Who are the new Harry Potter child actors? HBO casts leads for reboot

Who is Kanye West’s wife Bianca Censori, as she poses nude on Instagram?

New George Smiley novel will not be glamorous like Bond, says Nick Harkaway

The Frogs at Southwark Playhouse review: bursting with unfulfilled promise

The new Harry Potter child stars have confirmed my worst fears

Kevin Costner sued over ‘violent unscripted rape scene’ in western movie Horizon

EastEnders viewers ‘work out’ who dies as two characters fight for their lives after cliffhanger

Kathy Bates claims she was denied Frankie and Johnny role because her kissing a man ‘would not be romantic’

Presley Chweneyagae death: Star of Oscar-winning drama Tsotsi dies at 40

Hanif Kureishi: ‘The NHS only functions on immigration’

Casualty fans predict ‘insulting’ location change will be its ‘downfall’

UK band robbed at gunpoint in US say it is still ‘greatest country in the world’

West End star beats 32,000 hopefuls to land top Harry Potter series role

Sara Baras' Vuela at Sadler’s Wells review: thrumming with ferocity

The Flying Dutchman at Opera Holland Park review: ambitious and intense

Why Strictly star chose dancing over football

Stuntwoman sues Kevin Costner over ‘violent’ unscripted rape scene in Horizon 2

The 8 best movies we saw at Cannes Film Festival 2025

Friends actor says they’re ‘grateful’ they weren’t one of sitcom’s lead stars

Can doctors test embryos for autism? And should they?

Pillion review – I experienced one of the filthiest films I’ve ever seen at Cannes

Lorraine Kelly ‘left insulted’ by ITV’s GMB offer ahead of major presenting shakeup

Jennifer Lopez draws criticism for kissing multiple backup dancers during AMA performance

When you're fighting crime, is it better with a rhyme?

Daddy Pig breaks down in tears during chaotic live interview about Peppa Pig’s baby sister

Holly Johnson: ‘I didn’t get rich from Frankie Goes to Hollywood – but I’m not bitter’

‘It led me to some risky places’: The book that made me who I am today, by Tessa Hadley, Kate Mosse and more

Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz: ‘Kurt Cobain’s death scared me – it taught me what could happen to me’

The Handmaid’s Tale finale explained – and how it sets up the acclaimed show’s sequel The Testaments

Harry Potter: Every actor cast in the new HBO TV adaptation

Harry Potter series casts next generation of Harry, Ron and Hermione after 30,000 auditions

Trump pardons reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley over bank fraud and tax evasion

Stephen Graham reveals his company paid for Adolescence production team’s rent while they filmed the series

SpaceX launches another Starship mega rocket in latest demo after back-to-back explosions

Rick Derringer, who had a hit with 'Hang On Sloopy' and produced 'Weird Al,' dies at 77

Jafar Panahi’s Cannes Triumph Sends a Warning to Authoritarians Everywhere

Trump set to pardon reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley of fraud and tax evasion convictions

Rick Derringer, 77, Who Sang ‘Hang On Sloopy’ and ‘Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo,’ Dies

Diddy 'kidnapped aide at gunpoint' to confront rival rapper, court hears

Bill legalizing assisted suicide passes lower house of French parliament

To win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, contenders must also master geography