Nadine, a 14-year-old teenager, lives with her mother and grandfather on a hill in central Portugal. Her teen dreams are reflected in this empty, coarse, but natural environment. Nadine has a special bond with her mother Vera, who was 14 years old when Nadine was born. Vera’s past and Nadine’s future are tangled in this specific moment in their lives. It is not always clear who takes care of who, who is the woman and who is the girl. “Na Vespera is the result of 8 years of close friendship between the characters and the filmmaker. It can be seen as a tribute to the characters, made with a great deal of personal investment, patience and respect. Life and film are very close. Years of observation preceded the film’s making. Because of this, the movie can give a feeling of proximity with the characters and yet, there is a great distance maintained. The camera helps in creating this distance, in a static way it observes their daily life, proposing a mixture of documentary images and mise-en-scène.” (LK)
