The truth is out there!
Author: (jetnet@mail.com) from Povoa de Varzim, Portugal
10 April 2002
No, this is not an X-Files sequel, neither a sci-fi movie.
Instead, it’s a straight, touching, tragic, true story about a group of portuguese fishermen who get caught in the middle of a storm in the Tejo river (Lisbon).
Their boat wrecks and, despite the bad-luck, they are close to land and they can see their way through. But things are not as easy as they seem. Two of the four men cannot swim, one of them is too old and the river’s stream does not allow them to go through easily. As the clock ticks and time flows, they struggle to survive until the night falls down on them and makes their task almost impossible.
The plot is simple and direct and it counts on the actors’ effort (they spent dozens of hours in the water during the footage) and talent to impress the viewers. The coast is so near and yet so distant…
This is the unquestionable proof that a true simple story, when shot properly, works out for itself. It’s not magic, it’s cinema.