Accusations Revealed — Husband accuses Vanda of past actions Characters: Vanda, HusbandLocation: Upstairs
Truth Unveiled
The true motives and personalities of the guests are revealed through various interactions and confrontations.
Key Events
Character Revelations — True motives and personalities revealed Characters: Noémia, Angélica, Ricardo, Firmino, Maurício, Honório, Fernando, DoctorLocation: Country Home
Final Confrontation — Resolution of conflicts and revelations Characters: Vanda, Husband, Noémia, Angélica, Ricardo, Firmino, MaurícioLocation: Country Home
Resolution
The conflicts reach their resolution as characters come to terms with the revelations and their own true natures.
Key Events
Final Confrontation — Resolution of conflicts and revelations Characters: Vanda, Husband, Noémia, Angélica, Ricardo, Firmino, MaurícioLocation: Country Home
Story Breakdown
The Gathering — Friends gather to console widow Vanda
Condolences — Friends offer sympathy to Vanda
Social Dynamics — Complex relationships among the guests
The Supernatural Encounter — Vanda's mysterious meeting with her deceased husband
Upstairs Meeting — Vanda encounters her husband's ghost
Past Accusations — Husband reveals Vanda's past actions
Character Revelations — True motives and personalities emerge
Resolution — Final confrontations and coming to terms with truths
Confrontations — Characters face each other with revealed truths
Acceptance — Characters come to terms with their true natures
This is an intriguing avant-garde look at what motivates the leisurely classes in Portugal, for better or worse, by director Manoel de Oliveira. Set in a spacious country home peopled with a wide-ranging cast of characters, the drama begins as the friends of a widow come to console her on the loss of her husband. But at one point, the widow goes upstairs, encounters her husband, and is faced with his accusations about the past. This event and others provide the means of revealing the petty, self-serving, egocentric, and romantic pursuits of the melange of people in the house. - Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
