Aquele Querido Mês de Agosto (2008)

Cast: Manuel Soares, Sónia Bandeira, Fábio Oliveira, Joaquim Carvalho

Rating: NR

Running Time: 147 min.

Synopsis: Reality and fiction walk hand in hand in this breezy comedy drama from writer and director Miguel Gomes. Summer is a time for music and celebration in Portugal, where music festivals are held all across the country. Filmmaker Gomes has decided one of his many upcoming projects should be a movie about the festival season, but he and his producers have a hard time deciding if they should make a documentary or a drama, even though Gomes has already chosen his protagonists either way -- vocalist Tânia (Sónia Bandeira) and guitarist Hélder (Fábio Oliveira), who are young, attractive, and attracted to one another. As Tânia and Hélder find love in the Portuguese countryside, the sound of various forms of music, from rock to classical, fills the air and Gomes and his crew try to get their project off the ground, be it a musical, a fact-based drama, or a horror film (which he's also been considering). Aquele Querido Mês de Agosto (aka Our Beloved Month of August) was an official selection at the 2009 Rotterdam International Film Festival.