In Vanda's Room

Audience Reviews

View All (10) audience reviews

S R Saw it since it was on SnS22 list. However, this was horribly painful and never really went beyond the room. Yes, it was realistic, but does that make it worth watching? No. I did appreciate learning about Portugal's poverty, but it never taught me about the bigger issues, just that this area existed and these people live for drugs. SLC library DVD. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/27/25 Full Review Audience Member It's depressing to say the least but I must admit it was a wonderful step up from the dreadfully dull Colossal Youth. I find Costas style so enriching and unique that even when his films meander they are always worth looking at. Not for general audiences but cinefiles will find a hard pressed look into poverty and addiction. What I liked best was how understated the film is about drug use. Highly realistic. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member I love static shots. I love dark (stories) and dark (cinematography). I love a docudrama conceit. I love slice of life stories. This movie is all of that, but I did not love it. Second in the Fontainhas Trilogy, this movie did not engage me enough to care. Show me something other than the drug use. Shot after shot after shot after shot of smack use does not a movie make. Towards the end I finally started to care a bit for the characters but then it was too late and the film was over. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Shooting on digital with virtually no crew, Costa follows people playing themselves, highlighting the lives of the addicted and displaced. The natural lighting creates an often dark and foreboding atmosphere, one that meshes beautifully with the near-constant sounds of bulldozers plowing through nearby homes, slowly destroying the neighborhood in the name of progress. Costa rightly points his camera on people, tracking the human cost of personal and social choices. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Tengo que decir que me costó ver esta peli y no sólo por las tres horas de tono hiper contemplativo en la pieza de Vanda, sino también por lo crudo que puede resultar ver la vida diaria de una junkie. De hecho no me causaba mucha risa los momentos de humor que muchas personas en el cine parecían disfrutar. Pedro Costa presentó este film como ficción, pero es el hiperrealismo lo que más impresiona y conmueve. Bello uso de la luz natural; bello trabajo colaborativo con los residentes de este barrio, sobre todo con Vanda. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Whoa/Wow/How did Costa do this? And I disagree with the other reviewer, I think we spend plenty of time in Vanda's Room. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews

In Vanda's Room

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW