Nocturne for a Forest

Nocturno para uma floresta

In 1622, a group of monks built a fortress around a forest, closing it off to women. Yet when night reigns, the spirit world knows no walls.

In this beguiling work of speculative history by Catarina Vasconcelos (The Metamorphosis of Birds), the story of an insecure pope, a reclusive order of monks and Portugal’s foremost 17th century painter, Josefa de Óbidos, all entwine to make up a bewitching tapestry. As Pope Gregory worries about his legacy, the monks claim a section of a beautiful forest for themselves, just as they have done with a controversial painting of the Virgin Mary. Yet in the spirit world, the souls of women light up the forbidden leaves as a feverish debate rage about how patriarchal forces seek to limit, control and claim the image of beauty.

This film will screen as part of the programme Shorts: More Souls Than One.