The Mutants (Portuguese: Os mutantes) is a 1998 Portuguese film by director Teresa Villaverde, starring Ana Moreira and Alexandre Pinto. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
Contents
Plot
The lives of three young people living on the streets, as an alternative to the dysfunctional family environments where they grew up: Andreia (Ana Moreira), Pedro (Alexandre Pinto) and Ricardo (Nelson Varela).
Andreia, Pedro and Ricardo don't accept things as they are; they don't fit in anywhere. They never give up, they're always searching for something. They have an invisible force within them that spreads everywhere. Something inside them is always about to explode. It's like a wild energy, a desire to change things, to live differently. They don't quite know what they want, but there's always something that bothers them. They live with a constant need for vertigo, displacement, movement. They refuse to accept the place that was imposed on them before they were even able to choose anything. They don't accept this place, and that's why they don't occupy it. But they have no other. They are survivors. They are the Portuguese mutants, but mutants exist everywhere. Perhaps the world would prefer they didn't exist, but they do. Throughout the film, they dream, cry, laugh, have children, die, and run away.
Cast
Ana Moreira – Andreia
Alexandre Pinto – Pedro
Nelson Varela – Ricardo
Alexandra Lencastre – Social Worker
Paulo Pereira – Zezito
Helder Tavares – Franklin
Teresa Roby – Pedro's Mother
António Capelo – Pedro's Father
Jorge Bruno Gomes – Pedro's Brother
Samuel Costa – João Paulo
Carlos Castilho – Artur
Maria Tengarrinha – Julia
Marta Sofia Vargas – Paula
Isabel Ruth – Isabel
Awards
This film was nominated for four Golden Globes, Portugal which were:
Best Film: Teresa Villaverde
Best Director: Teresa Villaverde
Best Actor: Alexandre Pinto
Best Actress: Ana Moreira