Os Inconfidentes: History that feels like a trap

Is it worth your time?

If you like movies that let you sit in the silence of a dusty room for a long time, sure. It’s perfect for history nerds who are tired of hero-worship. If you need a clear plot or someone to root for, you’re going to be annoyed by the third act. Maybe just watch A Man There Was instead if you want something a bit more straightforward.

There is this moment where the camera just hangs on a face, and you can see the actor thinking about the craft service table more than the revolution. It’s beautifully awkward. The whole film feels like it’s being held together by tape and sheer stubbornness.

The pacing isn't so much a steady walk as it is a series of fits and starts. Sometimes it feels like watching Oliver Twist but everyone is wearing fancy coats and feeling deeply guilty about the state of the world. The costumes look so heavy, like they are actively crushing the people wearing them.

Notes from the notebook:

• The lighting in the council scenes is bizarrely green. Did they run out of bulbs?
• Nobody talks like a normal human. Everyone is giving a speech, even when they’re just eating breakfast.
• The crowd scenes have this weird, static energy, like people are afraid to move too fast or they’ll break the set.
• There’s a specific sequence with a candle that lasts way too long. I checked my watch twice.

It’s not trying to tell you a story as much as it’s trying to show you the scars of the past. It’s messy. It’s loud when it wants to be, and then it’s deathly quiet. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Stella del cinema, but with way less joy and way more existential dread.

I caught myself staring at a loose thread on one of the uniforms for a solid minute. The movie just lets you drift. It doesn't beg for your attention. It just sits there, daring you to leave. 🎥

Honestly, the whole thing feels like a stage play that escaped into the streets. It’s not smooth, and it definitely doesn't feel 'finished' in the way modern polished stuff does. But that’s why I kept watching. You don’t get many movies these days that let you feel the boredom of history.