Uprise

A glum man and an injured woman are brought together in the dark corridors of a hospital (purgatory, perhaps?) as an old man slowly dies and a baby quietly slumbers in an incubator in this meandering and self-consciously solemn feature debut from Potuguese director Sandro Aguila.

With no real story, barely a word of dialogue spoken and a clutch of cryptic, unexpressive performances, it’s a film which makes no effort in advising us on who we should follow, where we should follow them and why. The one aspect that really impresses is Paulo Ares’s angular photography, especially its recognition of space (especially confined) and its innovative use of focus and close-ups.