Tuesday 22 September 2026 19:00
languages : vostFR locations : Théâtre des Capucins
synopsis
A group of children gathers to play along the banks of the river in Porto. Among them is the shy Carlitos, who falls in love with Terezinha and soon grows jealous of his rival, Eduardo, the gang's charismatic leader. When Carlitos steals a doll in the hope of winning the young girl's affection, he is unjustly suspected of a far more serious crime. The ordeal forces him to confront the burdens of adulthood: guilt, fear, and the moral courage to do what is right.
With a cast consisting almost entirely of children, the action seems to take place in a republic of childhood, in which a version of courtly love is played out on the streets by day, and on its rooftops at night. There's an archaic coyness about "Aniki-Bobó", but its mix of innocence and Vigo-esque mischief is still winning.
Sight & Sound
The first feature-length film of Portuguese filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira ("I’m Going Home") is a hard-edged, unsentimental look into the world of children that anticipated many of the techniques of Italian neorealism.
Chicago Reader
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