08/05/2026 - A young man is invited by his former film-school classmate to join her as a set PA in Pedro Ramalhete’s charmingly oddball pastiche work made as a tribute to cinema itself

After bumping into former film-school classmate João (Henrique Gil) – part-slacker, part-daydreamer, part-loveable mess – on the streets of Lisbon, aspiring producer Clara (Júlia Valente) invites him to join her as a PA on a local production. Writer-director Pedro Ramalhete takes us all over the Portuguese capital in his feature debut, Eternal Flame, a balancing act of romantic undertones between the two former classmates and their attempts to simply keep the production running smoothly. The film enjoyed its national premiere at IndieLisboa, in the national competition, also serving as the Portuguese entry in the SMART7 European film festival network line-up.

The fact that we do see so much of Lisbon is a joy for a film such as this one, where every piece of world-building makes the movie more alive. Between a Chinese-speaking shopkeeper, tasty pastries and winding streets down which a cheery João hops, skips and jumps, the city feels real and welcoming. Ramalhete allows us to discover this rich and frequently amusing cast of characters, from the production's conniving producer, who randomly pops up on set, to the hot-tempered creative team that just wants to make a good film.

Through its many tributes to cinema as a medium itself, it remains charming nonetheless, even if Ramalhete’s attempts to try everything once often feel scattered. While these many choices feels unnecessary in combination, the director retains a warmly playful tone by toying openly with pacing and style, including a sped-up black-and-white scene, intertitles and dialogue-free sequences. In one of the stranger, more oneiric turns, João is confronted by a talking film camera that acts as a therapist. Óculos de Sol Pretos, the film's original title (lit. “Black Sunglasses”), owes itself to the protagonist’s tendency to constantly wear the eponymous article, which could be read as a sort of Godardian tribute.

Over 72 minutes, Eternal Flame does struggle to figure out where it wants to go and what it wishes to accomplish – fittingly, a bit like its protagonist, João. However, the film’s payoff is ultimately the meandering journey along the way, as Ramalhete follows his attempts to not screw up on the job and spend just a little bit of time with Clara. They are both a bit hard to read: what do they really think and feel about each other? Ultimately, Ramalhete gently steers us away from a conventional line of thought: this is neither a slow-burn romance nor a meet-cute. This is meant to be a love story about cinema – ah, anything for the love of film.

Eternal Flame is a Portuguese production staged and sold by Ar de Filmes.