Beyond the Postcards: João Rosas Illuminates a Personal Lisbon in 'The Luminous Life'

Portuguese director João Rosas invites audiences on a deeply personal journey through his hometown in THE LUMINOUS LIFE, premiering at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Forget the usual tourist brochures; Rosas offers a "sentimental cartography," revealing a Lisbon shaped by everyday lives and quiet moments rather than famous landmarks.

"Tourists don't know these places, but they are important to me and to other people in the film. I wanted to show another side of the city: this is where we actually live," Rosas explains. While the film dives into his personal connection to these hidden spots, he welcomes viewers to explore them for themselves if inspired.

At the heart of this intimate urban exploration is Nicolau, a directionless twenty-something reeling from a devastating breakup. He questions his future as a musician, adrift in a haze of apathy. Yet, even in his personal fog, Nicolau finds himself surrounded by pervasive kindness.

"This kindness was already present in my previous films, but in this one in particular," Rosas notes. "I think it’s important nowadays, in the context of the world we’re living in, to enhance this kindness towards each other, our friends and strangers we pass by on the streets. Cinema, for me, is an act of kindness."

Rosas, who enjoys working with non-actors and has featured "Nicolau" in previous projects, favors a minimalist approach to filmmaking. He playfully contrasts his style with contemporary trends: "Goethe would talk about Classic or Baroque periods. I think we’re living in very Baroque times – I mean, just look at Trump – but I’m all about Classic. I focus on what’s essential," he quips. This focus on the essential aims to foster a strong connection between the audience and his characters, exploring universal feelings and life stages within a specific, middle-class European context.

The director's creative process is deeply intertwined with Lisbon itself. "Even during auditions I’m more interested in getting to know everybody. They tell me how they view life and how they inhabit the city, where they go, what they do," he shares. "I’m just like Nicolau – I’m just there, listening. But the city – that’s always my starting point. I don’t have a car, so I just cycle and walk. I look at people in Lisbon and turn them into my characters."

While the twenties are often a period of uncertainty, The Luminous Life suggests that this search for purpose can extend much later into life. Rosas acknowledges this as a central challenge in his narrative: "How to portray this moment when you are looking for your own path in life? Then again, it’s an ongoing process. All our lives, we’re asking ourselves what to do next and who we are."

This ongoing quest for self is mirrored in Nicolau's father, a man who once seemed to have all the answers until his wife's departure shatters his composure. "Suddenly, their roles change – he turns into a man who confesses to his son that he’s not doing well," Rosas explains. This raw exchange ultimately helps Nicolau shed the lingering weight of his past relationship.

Despite the prevalent confusion and uncertainty, Rosas emphasizes that these emotions can also be a source of humor, consciously rejecting the often-romanticized Portuguese concept of saudade (a feeling of melancholic longing). "It’s a narrative I just don’t agree with. I’m not a sad person and I don’t see it around me," he asserts, viewing saudade as a "construction based on some touristic and maybe also political values, trying to explain ‘what it means to be Portuguese.’" Instead, he drew inspiration from filmmakers like Woody Allen and Nanni Moretti, who find comedic undertones in valid and complex human problems. "Life is doubt. Life is questioning. But I didn’t want to take things too seriously."

Rosas crafted a "talkative" film, rich with extended discussions about love, work, and the future. He believes cinema, like art, offers the precious "luxury of time," a respite from the demanding urban routine that often leaves no room for reflection or genuine connection. "Nicolau is passive, but that also makes him a kind character. He’s surrounded by young women and he’s not trying to conquer them. He’s absorbing their knowledge. I can’t stress this enough – It’s so important to listen to others and the stories they carry around the city."

For Rosas, filmmaking is an act of shared humanity. "I don't want to sound too pretentious, but this idea of sharing is very important to me. When I make films, I work with other people – I’m also thinking about other people who are going to see them. I like arthouse films and I’m, I guess, an arthouse director, but I never forget cinema was born as popular art."

THE LUMINOUS LIFE was produced by Pedro Borges for Midas Filmes and co-produced by Les Films de L’Après-Midi.