Cannes Film Festival 2021: 'The Tsugua Diaries’ Review (Directors’ Fortnight) [EN]

Cannes Film Festival 2021: 'The Tsugua Diaries’ Review (Directors’ Fortnight) film-fest-report.com/home/cannes-2021-the-tsugua-diaries-review Jul 26

Festival Highlights Written By Michael Granados

Presented at the 2021 Directors' Fortnight, Miguel Gomes and Maureen Fazendeiro’s The Tsugua Diaries cleverly looks at the creative process behind fiction and non-fiction filmmaking.

The Tsugua Diaries (Dirs. Miguel Gomes & Maureen Fazendeiro, Portugal/France, 2021)

With only four films under his name in the past 17 years, it was no surprise that cinephiles were delighted to see that a new film by Miguel Gomes would be premiering at the 74th Cannes Film Festival, more specifically, in the underrated and under looked parallel section, Director’s Fortnight. An additional surprise is that this film is co-directed by filmmaker and his wife, Maureen Fazendeiro (Black Sun [TIFF Wavelengths 2019]). The film, The Tsugua Diaries, as August reversed, follows the playful reverse structure as well. It’s also one of the few COVID-19 lockdown films, that integrates its situation and the two filmmakers incorporate their unique vision that blends fiction and non-fiction narrative story telling.

1/3

Starting with a diary entry marked Day 22 (or ends) to a dance party, played to the upbeat tune of The Night by Frankie Vallie and The Four Seasons, flashing red, green, and blue lights appear to an incredible pleasing aesthetic to three characters dancing joyfully. The central characters at this point of what we think in this film are Carloto, Crista, and Joao and a conflict occurs when Carloto catches Crista and Joao kissing. Bringing Carloto to a depressed state, the next diary entry appears. Day 21 appears and throughout the film, the entries go in reverse, but with this conflict occurring, we process on the background and if it is even a conflict at all. Going through the days (daze) of these characters, a fourth wall is broken when the process of the narrative begins or film of the making of the film. Going back to Gomes’s near-masterpiece, Our Beloved Month of August (2008, Director’s Fortnight), his playfulness with the process of filmmaking incorporated with narrative creates a depth to both parts of the film. Fazendeiro’s documentary background uses her nonfiction story telling which blends effortlessly with the present-day events.

The Tsugua Diaries (Dirs. Miguel Gomes and Maureen Fazendeiro, Portugal/France, 2021)

As the entries begin to shape the fiction and non-fiction story behind the main “actors” and now the crew of the film, ideas and the creative process reveals itself. Expectations and conventional story-telling (character-building, anticipation, linear timeline, etc.) are discussed between Gomes and Fazendeiro in a philosophical manner. An idea of spontaneity, especially given the pandemic, is what the two’s vision wants to create. The non-fiction aspect of the film continues in reverse opening up other ideas such as individualism and collectiveness. Fascinating and hilarious moments are created through several people’s ideas and actions (tractor scene [directors’ ideas clashing at each other], Carloto’s selfishness to swim breaking quarantine, a crew member’s breakfast rant). In addition, the structure forces the viewers to re-think character actions and questions the non-fiction to the fiction story. These added layers are unveiled as the result is now initiating the action, a trick that Gomes and Fazendeiro pull off ever so slyly.

2/3

The ending is near (or beginning) and the COVID testing has begun for this film crew to start this new project. A party is thrown as a celebration for everyone because after quarantining for months, dancing and drinking with your friends is one of the first things you want to do. For this film, the pandemic (un)fortunately brought out the best in originality for Gomes and Fazendeiro. The Tsugua Diaries may be seen as a minor work at first, but the complexity it layers itself not only brings out unexpected philosophical discussions, but the fun and joy of cinema.

Review by Michael Granados.

Watch Video At: https://youtu.be/IOwL6aN9-98

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3/3