Adaptation, Allegory and the Archive: Contextualising Epistolary Narratives in Contemporary Portuguese Cinema

Abstract

Epistolarity in cinema is commonly understood as a narrative device either fitting the so-called essay film, or resulting from filmic adaptation of literary works. A more nuanced understanding of the workings of this device is observed in films of disparate contemporary Portuguese filmmakers which adapt, rephrase and remediate letters. This article centres its attention on possible tendencies concerning epistolarity in this context, examining films that make use of the personal archive and epistolary voice, or that adapt letters to screen. It also examines filmic works that use the epistolary device to negotiate between emotional expression and historical materiality. Among others, this article discusses films such as Yama No Anata (Aya Koretzy, 2011), Correspondences (Rita Azevedo Gomes, 2016), Letters from War (Ivo M. Ferreira, 2016) and works directed by Pedro Costa and Miguel Gomes.