The Old Man and the Demon Sword (Velho e a Espada)
Directed by Fábio Powers
Hosted by Director/Writer Fábio Luís, Producer Cristiano Guerreiro
Director
Fábio Powers
Producer
Cristiano Guerreiro
Cast
António Jorge, João Loy
Sound Designer
François Ferreira
Special Effects
Jules Spaniard
contact
Freelancer
In the remote village of Pé da Serra in the mountains of Portugal, a monk arrives wielding a demonic sword. Before long, the mystical weapon ends up in the hands of the town drunk António da Luz (who plays himself). Together, the drunkard and the sword will have to learn together to fight the encroaching evil. Inspired by Portuguese legends and a tribute to American B-movies and tokusatsu (think EVIL DEAD meets KAMEN RIDER), THE OLD MAN AND THE DEMON SWORD is a low-budget extravaganza. Using expressionistic VFX and inventive production design (the demon sword is especially beautiful), director Fábio Powers explores a classic good-versus-evil plot with a Portuguese twist. The cast is mostly composed of amateur actors, while the Demon Sword is voiced by João Loy, the voice of Vegeta from the iconic Portuguese dub of DRAGON BALL Z.
The real heart of the movie though, is the performance by the lead António da Luz. He’s wide-eyed and unsubtle, but his performance is also earnest and loveable as the film explores through symbolism his internal struggles. Featuring fourth-wall-breaking elements, the movie serves as an enduring tribute to António da Luz and immortalizes him as an unlikely but relatable hero. As the movie explores questions of faith, modernity, and dignity, the film’s silliness is counterbalanced by a genuine wholesome vibe. THE OLD MAN AND THE DEMON SWORD embraces genre cinema at its purest, channelling fantasy-film conventions within a unique cultural lens. It’s a film of infinite pleasures, as heartfelt as it is ridiculous. More than just a slapstick lo-fi fantasy film, the movie has a genuine engagement with questions of legacy and the power of cinema to fulfill dreams. – Justine Smith
Showings
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Brush of the God
Keizo Murase
Two teens must save the world from a many-headed, mythological dragon in master artisan Keizo Murase’s directorial debut, following a lifetime crafting monster suits for all the best-known kaiju films.
Teasing Master Takagi-san
Rikiya Imaizumi
A reserved teacher finds his life turned upside down by the return of an old flame who used to tease him constantly, in this touching, feelgood rom-com that restores faith in humanity.
Rats!
Maxwell Nalevansky, Carl Fry
It’s 2007, and delinquent Raphael wants to spend his summer getting to know the cool new emo girl. Instead, he gets tangled with the FBI, a suicide, Steve Irwin, and more in the year’s nastiest comedy!