Christopher Columbus: The Enigma **
Manoel de Oliveira, 2008
Portugal
@ SIFF Cinema

I still don't really know why this worked so well for me, but it hit the spot. Almost like something you might catch late at night on PBS, at once baffling and clear in its intentions. Maybe it was just the location photography around Portugal that got me excited.

See also: IMDb

The Magic Mirror (Espelho Mágico)
Manoel de Oliveira, 2007
US
@ Anthology Film Archives

I've heard Oliveira's name a lot in magazines, online, etc. so I felt like I ought to check this film out, though as Nathan Lee points out in his Village Voice review, this is one of the least accessible films in recent memory. I incorrectly described this to Charles as boring; I can get into slow, "boring" movies, but this is full of talking that goes in circles, or nowhere. I didn't find a lot to get excited about visually, either.

See also: IMDb | Nathan Lee review

Colossal Youth (Juventude Em Marcha) ***
Pedro Costa, 2007
Portugal
@ Walter Reade Theater (Film Comment Selects)

"Solemn, entrancing, and ultimately undeniable." I, like many others, found this film a challenge to sit through, but then sometimes important moments in life can be much the same. Even a few hours later, I can feel the image and the atmosphere (of poor Cape Verdean immigrants in Portugal) growing like a seed in my mind.

See also: IMDb | Nathan Lee review | Girish on boredom in art/filmmaking