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The action takes place in the scorching summer of rural Alentejo, in southern Portugal. Two generations of a large Portuguese family get together in their sumptuous Lagariça villa. The patriarch and the matriarch have both passed away, leaving their three short-sighted and selfish adult children to look after the large property. Pragmatic Catarina (Beatriz Batarda) and Lourenço are hellbent on selling the property. In fact, they have already put it up for sale. Alcoholic drama queen Francisca (Margarida Marinho) is far less convinced: she thinks that their children – now children and adolescent – should have the opportunity to enjoy the countryside. Fuelled by local brandy, “Kiki” (that’s Francisca’s nickname) is always prepared to throw a tantrum in the name of family tradition. She shudders to think that the place that her father cherished could eventually become a golf club (hence the “18 holes” in the movie title).
The entire family get together in order to spend some time in the property. It’s never entirely clear who came up with the reunion idea, yet there is little doubt there it wasn’t a very bright decision. The feuding relatives are under the care of their old maid Alma – who now suffers from early-stage dementia – and her daughter Susana (Rita Cabaço), the most grounded character of the story. The young woman is adamant that her mother is entitled to part of the inventory because she worked almost five decades for the family. “Kiki” and Catarina are more interested in catching the sun on their loungers than discussing financial affairs with their maid’s daughter. They repeatedly ignore her, hiding behind their humongous shades. Next, Susana tries to persuade Lourenço. He immediately crafts some very creative maths in order to challenge her argument, as the movie offers some interesting socio-economy commentary, and peculiar depiction of the class struggle. Susana argues that Portugal’s statutory pension isn’t enough for her mother to survive, and instead insists that she should receive a slice of the pie. The inheritance split is guaranteed to set the place on fire (in the figurative sense).
Meanwhile, literal wildfires castigate the region. They are perhaps a harbinger of the house’s and the family’s imminent fate. Water is mysteriously gone. Lourenco blames the immigrants for stealing their supply. Caterina uses the shortage as yet another pretext to sell the property to which she’s not particularly attached, in addition to consistently finding faults at the house (issues nobody else is able to see). Given this plot outline, most people would expect a comedy. Yet helmer João Nuno Pinto and scribe Fernanda Polacow opt for a poetic and sensory drama. It’s an unfortunate choice.
The tone of 18 Holes of Paradise is awkward from the very beginning. A very loud and intrusive suspense score is inserted out of nowhere desperately trying to inject tension into the story. The attempts are in vain. This is a movie that never enraptures, or keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The characters and the performances are too flat and unidimensional (with the exception perhaps of Susana, and the respective thespian) for a more compelling psychological drama, or even to evoke any sort of audience allegiance. Polish cinematographer Kamil Plocki struggles to find any remarkable beauty and innovative framing. Hot yellow and dust often take over, suggesting that the nearby fires will eventually consume the villa. It looks neither realistic nor inspiring – watch Olivier Laxe’s Fire Will Come (2019) instead for a compelling and devastating depiction of Iberian wildfires. The slow-motion, operatic ending feels clumsy and pretentious.
18 Holes to Paradise just premiered in the Official Competition of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
