Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Al Berto is a biographical drama about the artist, poet, and editor Alberto Raposo Pidwell Tavares (a.k.a. Al Berto).
In 1975, after the Carnation Revolution, Alberto (Ricardo Teixeira) comes home to Sines, Portugal from Brussels to occupy his family home, which had been expropriated by the government. One night he goes to a club with some friends to listen to live music and becomes intrigued by the singer, João Maria do Ó (José Pimentão). The two flirt from a distance, then meet at the end of the night. Alberto goes home alone but is later startled when he hears movement on the first floor. He goes downstairs to find João standing there. João says the door was unlocked so he came inside, to which Alberto says he never locks the door. The two have sex, then begin to see each other regularly.
Alberto introduces João to his group of artistic friends who party at his house and often spend the night. It isn’t long before Alberto and his group of bohemian friends become known around the small coastal town. And with the gossip, comes trouble.
Some Thoughts:
Al Berto is a lush film full of style and beauty. It opens with Alberto meeting with a mysterious woman, and their conversation sets the mood and tone of the film perfectly. And while we never find out who this woman is, the story is so engaging that it doesn’t matter.
The acting throughout is excellent, but it’s Teixeira who truly shines. He infuses Alberto with a positive energy and joy for life that’s enthralling. He’s charming, charismatic, and confidant. It’s easy to see how people would be drawn to him.
While Alberto and his friends make up the bulk of the story, the movie does a good job showing the ideological differences between them and the rest of the small costal community on Sines. This is done via comments from relatives and confrontations with strangers, some of which gives the film an ominous tone. And although Alberto is aware of the growing hostility from of the locals, he seems to take it in stride until it can’t be ignored.
Because the film has such a large cast, there are stories that don’t feel fleshed out. If the film had been cut down to Alberto, João, and a smaller group of friends, it would lose the full sense of their bohemian lifestyle. However, a more limited group would give more time to the side stories, allowing for a more dramatic conclusion.
Al Berto was written and directed by Vicente Alves do Ó, whose brother was Tavares’ homosexual lover, João Maria do Ó. And since Alves do Ó had inherited Alberto Raposo Pidwell Tavares’ diaries upon his brother’s death, he used them to write the script.
The Final Verdict:
Al Berto is a beautifully captivating film with a fine cast and intriguing characters. Although the film is incredibly well done, the large cast of characters waters down the dramatic effect.