Bernardo Santareno

Movies

A Traição do Padre Martinho
Screenplay
Terra Nova
Novel
Inspired by Bernardo Santareno's “The Lugger” and “In the Seas of the End of the World”, this is the story of a captain of a codfish lugger, fishing in the banks of the Newfoundland who decide to risk sailing to Greenland in search of more fish. Along the way, he has to face storms, crew revolt and deal with the best and the worst of humanity when tested in extreme circumstances.
The Vows
Writer
The gritty lives of Portuguese villagers are shown in this action drama which shows the interaction between a married couple who have taken an unusual vow of celibacy and a gang of gypsies who are terrorizing their village. The film highlights many ancient religious traditions still current in these regions, as the villagers, devout Catholics, support the gypsy con-men by buying religious relics from them.
The Crime of Aldeia Velha
Writer
Set in a little remote village, where everyone is very religious and primitive, it tells the story of Joana, the most beautiful girl in village. She is badly regarded by all other women because they envy her and her affairs with men. As soon as accidents start happening involving her (at some point, she holds an already sick baby and he eventually dies), the women (and slowly, men too) in the village start claiming that she is possessed by the devil. At first,she doesn't believe it. They ask for two priests to exorcise her, but they leave and say to the people that she isn't possessed at all, and that people need to relax. But, little by little, they start convincing Joana that she is really possessed and she starts entering a stage of slight madness and behaving like she is. So, people "believing" that she isn't going to die, and that the demon will leave her body, with her permission, they end up burning her alive...