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In 1971, António Lobo Antunes' life is brutally interrupted when he is drafted into the Portuguese Army to serve as a doctor in one of the worst zones of the Colonial War – the East of Angola. Away from everything dear he writes letters to his wife while he is immersed in an increasingly violent setting. While he moves between several military posts he falls in love for Africa and matures politically. At his side, an entire generation struggles and despairs for the return home. In the uncertainty of war events, only the letters can make him survive.
Inspired in the book with the same title by António Lobo Antunes.
"I write to have a mountain of books when I die." Psychiatrist António Lobo Antunes is one of the most internationally recognized Portuguese writers. His novels, usually settled in Lisbon, are published in prestigious publishers in several countries (Christian Bourgois, Random House, Luchterhand). In Nordlund's film, the characters and scenes from his books constantly interrupt the writer's speech. Lisbon invades his home. The voices of the characters impose themselves to the writer's house. António Lobo Antunes compares his writing to a watercourse that leaves to freely find its way.
The aim of this documentary – especially in the subtitles – is to promote the benefits of civilization. The buildings and roads, built by Africans, commanded by settlers. The agricultural facilities, the hospital. Then the camera lingers with a certain fascination on dances – including warriors – and topless women. This curious documentary concludes with two “visions of the future”: a Portuguese dance of white and black schoolchildren, and the graduation of Portuguese teenagers.
