One of the goals to create this short-film - talk about abortion and maintain the discussion alive.
First of all we would like to share the achievement of making this teaser, from the start he accomplished his objective.
There are shown two visions (Maria José Magalhães and Nuno Monteiro) clearly different from each other that oppose, without loosing the merit from each intervening. Another participation a bit more analytic was starred by João Teixeira Lopes. This way we have accomplished one of the goals to create this short-film - talk about abortion and maintain the discussion alive. It’s an open door for a future sustained discussion - Question of life and death.
We choose to present our short-film through a set of tree interviews, we’ve made it separately, on the context of the Relation Court of Porto: place where important matters of society are taken. This way we hope to contribute for dignity and the importance that this matter deserves.
Searching for information, a seed of doubt about the matter was placed on the spirit of this film crew. The majority of the team in their 20's, are included into a generation with a pro choice speech that lacked the hard path of conquest.
In today’s generation with a guarantee of choice, maybe wasn't changing the opinions, but the strength of doubt feeding the consciences that has been stolen. Ensures the responsibility exercise. Understanding doors are open.
It’s for this exercise that we propose the support of: The Citizenship.
Plot
1985. Maria was raped at home, the last stronghold of her loneliness. Her sanctuary as now became her calvary. A runaway car while crossing the road could be the solution.
Argument
This is the story of a woman that lives in the interior of the country in a village hard to reach. Maria is a woman with strong religious and moral convictions. Alone and isolated she hasn't a way of justifying the sudden pregnancy due the rape. In the way out of the hospital, where was confirmed her pregnancy, appears out of the blue the solution to her problems. Suicide or abortion aren't an option due her morality and her religion beliefs. But an adrift car coming on her direction can be the solution - she just need to remain still. No one could blame her for the accident.
What to do? How to react?
What's the solution?
Mainting the child?
What will speak louder?
God’s love?
Live with a child that although innocent will always be a living reminder of the barbaric way that was conceived?
How the community will judge seeing her pregnant with the husband out of town?
This doubt is the climax of all the action. Focus the public’s eye to a problem that hasn't a possible solution.
Maria is alone.
About the author
Frame Productions started with a three person group searching for their place in the market, because they know they had the capacity to make a change and say something more about this world.
Here you can see our showreel, a gathering of all our works or you can visit the website and see all the works we’ve done.
Our Vision
Since the start, this short-film goal is to look beyond the speeches. We had search for the people directly affected. The question is: after years of discussion about abortion, to which point didn't the people get lost in the middle of the speeches.
What remains after years defending this cause, the speakers tend to create a uniformed speech between them. Naturally for achieve the change of something so conservative as the law, with this all the mentality, the message tends to be simplified, standardized, under the penalty of confusing the majority of people who want to reach. With that both sides tend to have extreme opinions.
Discovering the subject led us to something even richer. The whole socio economic issue that involves it. Quickly we travel 30 years ago, the first law proposal put abortion on the political agenda and with that the evolution of the health system and the economic progress.
In Portugal occurred the revolution. The first debates about young people accessing contraception was triggered by the Association for Family Planning.
Nacional Health Care was created with the merge of the Directorate General of Health and Medical Social Services that will provide the country a network of health centers, organized according the public health perspective. These advances on health policy went into a direct conflict with the guidance of Church that at the time was against the pill. A deeply Catholic country with a low literacy rate, which contributes to the isolation of a substantial population’s part.
Isolation and ignorance, were the stigmas to be shoot down.
So we would like to express the importance of the drama occurring in 1985, this way we have a political and social environment decisive in many ways:
- The abortion speeches were even more extreme;
- We officialized the National Health Care, was we know it;
- Contraception and abortion are discussed for the first time on the government;
- Portugal enters EEC;
- “Cavaquista” policy bets on highways to minimize the people isolation.
Now, 30’ years passed away, we see an opposite work, closing universities and Health Centers, taxing the highways, which isolates the country even more. 30 years later the bets seems to be – isolation and ignorance.
The truth is that if we look to the interior of the country in many cases, the difference between customs and mentalities, even the landscape, doesn't change that much. This only shows the regression that the State commitment has to the population: safety, health, education… anyway - progress.
There are violences, so severe, as physical violence and also so frightening.
In the moment that the car out of control comes in her direction: Maria decides beyond her physical death. She decides about the life that she wants to have, or not.
The loneliness that she lives blames us all.
Where does it goes
As an audiovisual producer and as people, we believe on the quality of our works, so doing the short-film "God Will Provide" we want to rise even more the bar and create a product worthy of running on (inter)national festivals.
We don't want to do just another short-film, we want to do a good argument allied with a good technique conquering in portuguese and foreign festivals, we want to take this short-film to another level, because this subject is indeed very relevant here in Portugal as outside.
Embrace this challenge
The film presents us the involvement and the dilemma that the character has to confront.
We choose to do this film inverting the chronology, and trough the constants jumps in time, get to know the route of the character until the point of putting her life in cause. This way we can show the emotional mess that muddle the reason in the moment that we choose to begin telling this story.
The use of slow motion to extend the decision moment and the mismatches between the sound and image shows her state of mind. Visiting this moment in three distinct phases through dramas evolution we make it the climax, leaving the audience to decide all the truth about this woman.
Main Actress - Isabel Abreu
Born in Portalegre at March 3 of 1978. Theater actress that also gained fame and recognition for her work in television and cinema. Between several distinctions she was recently nominated for the price of "Best Actress" on the International Television Festival of Monte Carlo, for her interpretation in the mini-series "Noite Sangrenta", and also win the SPA price for best actress with her performance in Blackbird.
Staff
Luís Porto - Director
His journey started at Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema and begun his carrier with a pilot episode of the tv-series "Heresia". At this moment he is devoted to Frame Productions (being one of the partners) addressing different ranges such as directing music videos, institutional films, commercials, among others.
Jaime Monsanto - Writer
Professional actor since 1994, worked from classical authors to contemporary - Molière, Tchékov, Ésquilo, Sófocles, Mark Ravenhill...
Right now he started his journey as a writer with the short-film "God Will Provide"
Laura Milheiro - Producer
Started with Communication Sciences in FLUP but early she fell in love for audiovisual production, leading her to carry out the production of the pilot episode of the tv-series "Heresia".
Such as the director Luis Porto, she is devoted to Frame Productions conducting various productions as music clips, institutional films, commercials, among others.
Francisco Vidinha - Director of Photography
Took the studied Photography in Australia and since than he has created various commercials as a photography director to reputed brands like Vodafone, Optimus, B!, Barclays and is know by the short-films "Noite Fria em Castelo Branco", "O Beijo", "O Regresso do Homem que não queria sair de casa".
Nuno Maciel - Sound Director
One of the current directors of Fábrica de Som in Porto, he gives trainings of sound in Inovinter, have as well experience recording bands and sound technician. He took a course in Sound Design at IFAM.
Ricardo Pais - Casting Director
Studied in London, where he obtained the Director's Course Diploma, from Drama Centre London in 1971. Between 1975 and 1983 he was professor in the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema of Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa.
Between 1995 and 2000 he became the director of the Nacional Theater of São João, to which he returned in 2002 staying until 2009. In his activity as a director there are some pieces that stand out: "Dois Verdugos de Arrabal", "D. Perlimpim de Lorca", "As Cuecas de Sternheim", "A Mandrágora de Machiavelli, Ninguém" – Frei Luís de Sousa, from texts of Almeida Garrett, Maria Velho da Costa e Alexandre O'Neill, Anatol de Arthur Schnitzler, Fausto, Fernando, based on texts by Fernando Pessoa, Clamor de Luísa Costa Gomes, about Sermões de Padre António Vieira, or Madame, de Maria Velho da Costa.
Alberto Gonçalves - Editor
Currently is one of the Frame Productions’ partner and his first big editing work was the Pilot episode of the tv-series "Heresia".
Since then he as been in charge for the editing of music clips, institutional films, commercials, among others.
Pedro Manana - Actors Director
Make the course in the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema and is route has left him trough both areas.
Was the scene director and actor on the Nacional Theater of São João, with pieces like “O Mercador de Veneza”, “Saque”, among others. He also participated as an actor in Waiting for Godot, Sonho de uma note de Verão, etc.
In cinema, he has participated in some short-filmed “Fondue de Chocolate” e “A Receita do Sossego”, and he had also participated in several commercials.
*In the Special DVD will have the short-film, the making of, the trailer and little talks with the actress Isabel Abreu during the shooting, with the director, the writer…
