China walks towards the Lisbon district of Martim Moniz. In its wake, the children shout: China! China! China will leave at dawn, will fly away. Just wants to be happy. But drinking her own poison without leaving a drop. Sometimes the air is laden with iniquity and purgatory is a kindergarten...
Direction
Dual vision from Rodrigues and Guerra da Mata
Cinematography
Martim Moniz transformed into liminal space
Sound
Children's chant becomes haunting refrain
Director
João Pedro Rodrigues
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Martim Moniz is Lisbon's most multicultural neighborhood, historically a gateway for immigrants—making it the perfect purgatory for a film about in-between identities.
Rodrigues and Guerra da Mata are frequent collaborators who often explore queer and migrant experiences in Portuguese cinema; this short predates their feature 'The Last Time I Saw Macao'.
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