"Netflix has variety, we have to try to have it in our cinema too"

The film 'O Lugar dos Sonhos' is written and directed by Diogo Morgado and will hit theaters next Thursday, August 28th. This genre blends drama and fantasy, and is also "a tribute to cinema and the importance of stories in people's lives."

'The Place of Dreams' is the story of a grandfather and a grandson, a meeting of generations. "Anyone who sees the film realizes that the grandfather wasn't a perfect father; the mother is striving to be the best mother she can be. We're all trying to do the best we can, and the important thing is the love that unites us," Diogo Morgado highlighted in an interview with Notícias ao Minuto .

Carlos Areia plays the lead role as Júlio's grandfather. Young actor Gonçalo Menino plays Júlio's grandson, João.

Another big surprise is singer Áurea, who appears here as an actress and plays Sofia, João's mother and Júlio's daughter. The cast also includes José Fidalgo, Maria Viralhada, Ricardo de Sá, Guilherme Filipe, Pedro Lacerda, Carmen Santos, and Pompeu José, among others. Diogo Morgado, also worth mentioning, makes a small appearance in one scene.

A different film, with various styles - including the presence of video games, animation and even lettering - and values ​​that Diogo Morgado hopes will "touch the hearts of many people."

'The Place of Dreams' blends many ideas, values, and teachings, addressing many themes... Besides sparking the imagination and bringing the magic of cinema, it also speaks to the meeting of generations or, for example, the idea that work isn't everything. It has many foundations... What led you to bring it all together?

As a viewer, I'd love to see a Portuguese film with these specific ingredients. After Covid, cinema suffered greatly—not just Portuguese cinema. There was an explosion in streaming—which is very high-quality—and the truth is that the way we experience stories on the big screen is going through a difficult period.

I wanted to create a story that, among other things, would be a tribute to cinema, a tribute to good stories, and the importance of stories in people's lives. We, as human beings, didn't yet know how to speak, and we were already drawing ways of telling stories on cave walls—those images in cave paintings were, in essence, things that had happened to primitive humans and that they were trying to portray through images. And what is a film if not a moving image?

So, a story that somehow resonated with what kids see these days—from streaming platforms, YouTube, video games, all of that. But instead of being a critique of that, it was an attempt to create connections, that is, the grandfather can learn from the grandson, the grandson has to learn from the grandfather… Even if they come from families that aren't perfect. Anyone who watches the film realizes that the grandfather wasn't a perfect father; the mother is trying to be the best mother she can. We're all trying to do the best we can, and the important thing is the love that unites us.

Stories have always been, at least for me, excellent starting points for reflection, for raising questions, for thinking. The film pays homage to films that were important to me. Perhaps the best homage of all is 'Cinema Paraíso.' I remember being 10 or 11 years old when I saw 'Cinema Paraíso,' and because I was a kid, I thought it was a film for me when, deep down, it wasn't. It was more for adults. I remember being very young and asking my parents why they were doing so much about that film.

What makes us evolve as human beings are the questions we ask. It's the basic principle of philosophy. To ask, to question... Stories have that power. This argument comes from all of that, from trying to create a story so the family could go to the cinema to see a Portuguese film and have everyone discuss it.

What I try to do when I turn to video games, animation, or even lettering itself isn't because kids nowadays see it on TikTok. These are ways we, as human beings, communicate. Rather than criticizing, it's important to use that to serve a good story.

Can we assume that it is a film with the intention of bringing together, precisely, generations…?

Without a shadow of a doubt! Grandchildren can watch with their grandparents, with their parents, and there's a little something for everyone.

The film features some effects that lend a more animated feel. Was this also intended to appeal to younger audiences, who are more interested in fast-paced consumption these days?

No, deep down, what is cinema and the role of the director? It's all about story perspectives and how they can be told. There are a thousand and one ways to tell a story. Nowadays, for example, the gaming industry is seen almost on a cinematic level, because the care taken with stories, even within video games, is absolutely extraordinary. And I speak as a gamer myself, so I know firsthand.

It's important to try to communicate with everyone and show them that regardless of the story format, what matters is whether the story is good or not. What I try to do when I turn to video games, animation, or even lettering itself isn't because kids nowadays see it on TikTok. These are ways for us, as human beings, to communicate, regardless of whether we like it or not. These are ways that are all around us. We are a result of this too. Instead of criticizing, it's important to use this to serve a good story, to do good things.

I feel that kids who see the trailer will encounter elements they encounter in their daily lives—when they go to YouTube, another platform, when they watch a video game or play games… It's important to me, so that cinema doesn't die and, in particular, Portuguese cinema becomes increasingly dynamic, that the young people, who are ultimately the audiences of tomorrow, have this seed.

I hope that in five or six years, I'll meet young people who will tell me, 'I remember I didn't use to go to the movies, and the first Portuguese film I saw was yours.' It would be a huge privilege, because that would be one of the goals. I have a nine-year-old son and a 15-year-old son. I have at home the experience of what it's like to be these ages today, and I tried to communicate with them when writing this script.

I believe stories are the closest thing to true magic. It's not the magician's illusion, it's magic. We feel things inside that we can't explain. I've been impacted by different stories. How many people haven't been affected by a film as simple as 'Rocky'?

Precisely, children today are more accustomed to the rapid consumption of YouTube and social media, and it can be more difficult to get them to sit in a theater or watch a movie. This theme is also addressed in the film—both in the way it's constructed with these same effects and in the script (when, for example, it places the character João initially focused on his cell phone, with no connection to his grandfather).

They don't connect at first because there's no connecting link, and then they embark on re-enactments of different films they watch. They experience the importance of imagination. That's why Grandpa says: "Dreaming is as important as this water we're drinking." The day we stop dreaming—dreaming about being better, dreaming about wanting to have this or enjoying doing that—these are all narratives and stories we tell ourselves. And that's what films are all about. Carlos Areia's character Júlio says this. The fears and anxieties these characters experience are ours too.

I believe stories are the closest thing to true magic. It's not the illusion of a magician, it's magic. We feel things inside that we can't explain, the transformative power of stories. I've been impacted by different stories.

Even today, I still have stories as references that had a profound impact on me at the time and were truly transformative and innovative. How many people weren't touched by a film as simple as 'Rocky'? It's super simple: it's about a guy who comes from nowhere and doesn't give up. And it's not about how he wins, it's about how he doesn't give up and keeps going. This kind of motivation is what we all need, and stories have the ability to give us this, to touch us deep down.

I have nothing against auteur cinema. I'm just as quick to watch classics from the '50s and '70s as I am to watch the most sophisticated thing that came out yesterday. I believe that Portuguese cinema should be creatively eclectic.

'The Place of Dreams' strongly conveys the idea that nothing is impossible. Making this film different from what we're used to seeing in Portugal was, in a way, also about showing that anything is possible in cinema, especially in Portuguese cinema, and that there are no limits?

People don't understand the underlying difficulties of making these types of films, of reaching audiences. In the United States, just to give you an example, one of the films nominated for an Oscar this year was 'Anora.' It had a larger budget for its Oscar campaign than for the production of the film itself. In other words, it wasn't the film itself that cost much more; it cost much more to reach audiences and promote it.

When people don't have this notion, when we're at a time when, regardless of the quality of things, there's a whole machine around that's just as important, if not more so, to getting the film to people, that's when utopia begins to happen—something that shouldn't be becomes almost utopia. For those who make these stories, for those in the field, the important thing is to not give up and keep trying.

Just as viewers go to Netflix and have a variety of genres, in our cinema we also have to try to have a little bit of every type of offering.

When I talk about limits, I'm not so much talking about the film's execution, as budget constraints, for example, are already much discussed. It's more about creativity, storytelling...

It's very important to be eclectic. I have nothing against auteur cinema. I'm just as quick to watch classics from the '50s and '70s as I am to watch the most sophisticated thing that came out yesterday. I believe that Portuguese cinema should be creatively eclectic. It should have comedies that aren't the most baroque, and it should have films that, to be successful, don't necessarily have to be sexual.

If we look at it, in the all-time national top 10, we have films like "O Crime do Padre Amaro"—which I was in—or even "Call Girl." They're good films, but they were so successful because they also had strong sexual overtones, and people seek out that kind of thing. I have nothing against that; what's important is that we have something to offer our viewers. Just as viewers go to Netflix and find a variety of genres, in our cinema we also have to try to have a little bit of every kind of offering.

I know it's tempting, especially in independent cinema, which is the case with this film, which received no government support whatsoever. We're so concerned about getting people to go to theaters; the financial side of things is paramount. But it's possible to combine the two. It's possible to create a product that appeals to the masses and isn't "bad." I'm not saying it's bad, I'm saying we can't sell ourselves short creatively.

Even behind the stories we know, there are a host of other stories we don't. We're all cut from the same cloth and have the same desires, fears, and frustrations.

"We decide what kind of movie our lives will be." This is a phrase you can hear in "The Place of Dreams." What kind of movie will Diogo Morgado's life be?

I'd say it's an action film. Since I started at 15, I can't complain. I've gone through several phases, all of them very dynamic, very beautiful, some not so much, and most people don't know about them, nor do they need to know, but it's important. And I show that in this film as well. Even behind the stories we know, there are a series of other stories we don't know about. We're all cut from the same cloth and have the same desires, fears, frustrations. There are things that remain unresolved, and I'd say that, without a doubt, the genre of my life is a good action film.

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