Year: 2020
Country:
UNITED KINGDOM, PORTUGAL
Language:
English, Portuguese
Run Time:
73 minutes
Bela and Jota are Portuguese immigrants struggling to make ends meet while raising their three children in London. The loving couple will do anything they can to provide for their kids. But lacking opportunity, resources, and a reliable support system, their day-to-day life can be tough. The family’s precarious situation is only exacerbated when their deaf daughter Lu’s hearing aid breaks and causes a misunderstanding that ends in an upsetting visit from social services. At risk of losing their children permanently, Bela and Jota are plunged into a convoluted legal system that seems as if it’s designed to tear their family apart. Although they receive help from a few kind strangers along the way, their experience is largely one of judgemental looks and opaque bureaucracy. Lúcia Moniz (“Love Actually”) gives an impassioned performance as the tireless Bela, anchoring the film’s emotional core. LISTEN is an intimate snapshot of a complex system and its overt flaws. But more importantly, the story is one of compassionate people trying their best. (In English and Portuguese with subtitles) — D.O.
CIFF45 Streams On Demand
Thursday, April 08, 2021 at 11:00 AM -
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 11:59 PM
Streams Access: United States and US Territories
Accessibility (?)
Closed Captions: No
Audio Description: No
English Subtitles: Yes
Competitions
Reel Women Direct Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman
International Narrative Competition
Director
Ana Rocha De Sousa
Producers
Rodrigo Areias, Paula Vaccaro, Aaron Brookner
Cinematography
Hatti Beanland
Editing
Tomás Baltazar
Principal Cast
Lúcia Moniz, Sophia Myles, Ruben Garcia, Maisie Sly, Kiran Sonia Sawar, James Felner
Magnolia Pictures International
international@magpictures.com
http://www.magpicturesinternational.com
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