Will O’ the Wisp, Portuguese auteur João Pedro Rodrigues’ latest, is a transcendent exploration of the senses. Taken at face value, the 67-minute film has enough political rhetoric, full-frontal nudity and satirical and crass humor to elicit a reaction from any viewer. This is not a work of indifference, nor is it a work of universality. The film bombards the viewer with its confident fourth wall-breaking treatise on the dangers of doing too little too late concerning Global Warming, just as much as it gleefully wire-walks the line between high art and the exploitation of homoeroticism. The fast-paced feature culminates into a gumbo of striking imagery and whimsical ideas that ceremoniously shrugs at caring if a pop-centric audience will “get it”. It is all the better for not conceding.
The story begins in 2069 as King Alfredo lays on his deathbed in a minimalist future depicted as a sterilized existence manifested from the plague of the Coronavirus and environmental decay. We are then transported to 2011 as a fantastical alternate timeline of historical events shows young Prince Alfredo (Mauro Costa) walking through the forest with his father. Alfredo seems to listen passively as his father laments the importance of forestation. The moment segues into an unassuming musical performance as a group of hopeful and bright-eyed children perform an a cappella ode to protecting the environment for future generations.
The film carelessly juggles the tongue-in-cheek earnestness of youthful idealism and world-weary sarcasm steeped in nihilism, laying the groundwork for Alfredo’s brazen advocacy that eventually propels him on his journey. Years pass and the Young Prince declares that he wants to become a fireman, a duty that he wishes to serve for his country as a proactive stance against global warming induced forest fires. Given consent by his affable cigar-chomping father, King Eduardo (Miguel Loureiro), Alfredo steps out to make the world a better place. The film switches lanes as it introduces itself as a “Musical Fantasy,” placing Alfredo into an erotic playground posing as a fire station where he ultimately meets his trainer and future love interest Afonso, played with stoic grace and presence by Andrè Cabral.
Will O’ the Wisp shifts gears from an eye-winking social commentary to erotic wanderlust and then settles into an intimate exploration of a first love culminating into a show-stopping choreographed dance number exhibiting the tenderness and passion of Alfredo and Afonso’s affair. There is a certain tenacity to this sequence. The sensual movements of the film’s leads are juxtaposed against the laconic chorus of their fellow firemen dancing in unison behind them, seemingly in support of their connection. In the film’s most sensual moment, everyone has their clothes on.
Rodrigues’ film is both confident and arrogant. There are moments when the filmmaker seems to dare you to enjoy it or look away. Then there are moments that are intimate and inviting, a subtle touch or a musical sequence that delivers an absurd goofiness to the experience. It’s all over the place, yet it works. The standout, besides the deceptively funny and clever script, is Andrè Cabral’s portrayal of Afonso. Cabral brings weight to Alfredo’s story by approaching Afonso as an ethereal being. As a recollection, the intimacy, movement and presence of Afonso is predicated through the imagery of his lover long into the future after these events have passed. Cabral and Costa’s chemistry anchor the film, incidentally, feathering out Rodrigues’ innuendo and shock value shenanigans.
Will O’ the Wisp commands attention. The film deserves it. It tests boundaries and openly mocks activism while somehow validating it. It’s a compact curiosity that succeeds in delivering spectacle and afterthought. The film defiantly toys with the pomposity of tolerance and thumbs its nose at decadence and privilege, all the while celebrating intimate sensuality and sexual awakening in a fantastical world.
Photo courtesy of Strand Releasing
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