Leao, a Cape Verdian man working on a construction site in Portugal has a fall and ends up in a coma. While still comatose, arrangements are made from his hometown to have him sent back. A nurse, Mariana, ready for a change of scene, volunteers to accompany him. Upon her arrival, nothing is as she expects. No one seems to be waiting for Leao.

As Mariana waits for someone to turn up, even Leao from out of his coma, she gets increasingly involved with the mysterious community and the intrigue mounts. In fact, CASA DE LAVA recalls CHINATOWN, where the nosy outsider steps into a situation that turns out to be much more than was bargained for.

The narrative itself, however, takes a back seat to poetics, which crafts stanzas out of ellipses and assumes a meter of remarkably edited cinematic rhythm. Director Pedro Costa creates some arresting portraiture, especially the selective low-angled close-ups, while cinematographer Emmanuel Machuel arrives at some exquisite night shots. The mise-en-scene ranges from highly suggestive to quite stealthy. An arsenal of symbolism, audio-visual disjunction, and insinuating edits work to paint a portrait of the social landscape. The pacing of CASA DE LAVA never languishes; the music is always in the moving image, whether the infectious Cape Verdian soundtrack is playing or not.  out of

Fred Patton