Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl

Portuguese elder statesman Manoel de Oliveira has been making films since 1931. The 101 year old’s delightful latest is a perfectly executed comic miniature on the perils of old-fashioned courtship. Delivered as an irate remembrance from the seat of a train, the story describes the lengths to which pretty boy Marcário (Ricardo Trêpa) goes to woo the sultry maiden (Catarina Wallenstein) who throws him come-hither looks from a window opposite his office. Playing on the idea that our traditional notions of romance are at loggerheads with the modern world, the film’s players struggle to uphold the chivalry and politesse expected during a burgeoning relationship. Sly, understated and ruthlessly focused, the functional yet elegant photography by Sabine Lancelin enhances the film’s ironic kick.