Horse Money

Horse Money (2014) directed by Pedro Costa was highly praised by critics, so I was curious to see what it was all about. There is no denying that it is an artistic and visually memorable film. However, it was very much an "art" film of the "slow cinema" variety. That means it had a glacial pace and was unconventional in its narrative. I also felt that I was lacking context. Perhaps, I should have seen some of Costa's earlier films, since it seems that several of themes are concerned with the African country of Cape Verde, a former colony of Portugal, which I was unaware of. I thought it was a fictional country at first. I learned from other reviews that the star of the film, Ventura has been in several of his other films. As I mentioned, I can see the artistry behind the film, but the perhaps it is one of those films in which the viewer needs to be in the right mood for such a film about the struggles of the poor, exploited members of the former colony. The fractured narrative probably also demands another viewing to decipher exactly what is true and what is int he protagonist's imagination. It was more challenging than I expected, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't give another Costa film a chance. I may go back and see his earlier film Colossal Youth, which also was universally highly praised.