Pictures of Ghosts

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Pictures of Ghosts

2023

1h 33m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

100%

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34 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Downtown Recife's classic movie palaces from the 20th century are mostly gone. That city area is now an archaeological site of sorts that reveals aspects of life in society which have been lost. And that's just part of the story.

Sergio Burstein

Los Angeles Times

Armed with abundant archival material... also supported by dramatizations and scripted scenes, Kleber Mendonça Filho recovers essential moments from his artistic training and the development of his craft in Pictures of Ghosts. [Full review in Spanish]

Feb 20, 2024

Full Review

Dmitry Samarov

Chicago Reader

It’s like celestial time travel while rarely leaving one’s childhood block.

Jan 26, 2024

Full Review

Glenn Kenny

RogerEbert.com

A lovely, enveloping film.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 26, 2024

Full Review

Anna Hoang

Boston Hassle

PICTURES OF GHOSTS is the kind of biodoc that everyone has playing in their heads, wishing that it could come to fruition for others to watch.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 14, 2025

Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

One gets the impression Filho could not have turned out anything but a filmmaker, given the endless amounts of footage he has shot over the course of his life, whether he was officially in production on a feature or not.

Apr 1, 2025

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

trans|cendental cinema

Filho deftly blends truth and artifice, documentary and magical realism, to create something uniquely beautiful.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 13, 2024

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Kleber Mendonça Filho

Director

Kleber Mendonça Filho

Self

Kleber Mendonça Filho

Writer

Emilie Lesclaux

Producer

Dora Amorim

Executive Producer

Pedro Sotero

Cinematographer

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Synopsis

Downtown Recife's classic movie palaces from the 20th century are mostly gone. That city area is now an archaeological site of sorts that reveals aspects of life in society which have been lost. And that's just part of the story.

Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Producer: Emilie Lesclaux
Screenwriter: Kleber Mendonça Filho
Production Co: Ancine - Agência Nacional do Cinema, Vitrine Filmes, CinemaScópio Produções
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Brazilian Portuguese
Runtime: 1h 33m

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