Direction: Miguel Gomes, Maureen Fazendeiro
Country: Portugal
Shot in 16mm in Portugal, between August and September 2020, The Tsugua Diaries was born out of the impossibility for directors Miguel Gomes (Tabu, 2012; Arabian Nights, 2015) and Maureen Fazendeiro to complete the projects they were working on due to the coronavirus pandemic. Blurring the line between reality and fiction, the filmmakers conceived a leisurely, minimalistic tour de farce, freely narrated with reverse chronology (note that Tsugua is August spelled backwards) and presenting both cast and crew playing themselves while shooting a film on a mosquito-infested farm in Sintra during lockdown.
It’s an open exercise with an interesting idyllic backdrop, comedic tones, literary references, a small amount of dramatic tension, and efficient editing. The actors Crista Alfaiate, Carloto Cotta and João Nunes Monteiro make it hard for us to know where the performers end and the personas begin; what you get is what you see and hear, in an experimental line that suggests a mix of Godard and Assayas. By giving free rein to the actors, the directors successfully entangle viewers in their scheme. It’s all very risky and directionless, but delightful nonetheless.
With the power of the images overstepping the dialogues, The Tsugua Diaries gives a wonderful example of artistic freedom, off-the-cuff creativity, microcosmic detail, and mood-induced emotion. This is an audacious reinvention of what a movie can be in times of strict restrictions.
