O Trio em Mi Bemol (The Kegelstatt Trio)

There is, of course, a language of cinema – this is how the filmmaker uses various codes and methods to actually communicate their intent. Portuguese director Rita Azevedo Gomes clearly understands these conventions to the point that she can subvert them, and interpret the language of cinema in her own terms. The result is an occasionally unwieldy and interestingly abstract piece of work. It may prove divisive, but there are singular and unexpected pleasures to be found.

Adélia (Rita Durão) and Paul (Pierre Léon) are former lovers whose romantic relationship is now platonic, though still emotionally intimate. They sit around a sparsely decorated villa, happily dissecting their past and giving forthright opinions on each other’s current partners. It quickly transpires that the pair are actors, preparing for the production of a film, with the presented scenes forming that narrative. There’s certainly a playfulness here, sometimes verging on coy, but it’s not as though O Trio em Mi Bemol attempts to take the meta, self-referential route.

Azevedo Gomes’s distinctive style has the potential to alienate. She prefers static, medium shots that encompass the space, allowing her characters to essentially come and go as they please. It’s a curious experience that acknowledges the artifice of the premise, while also encouraging an audience to scrutinise proceedings in considerable detail. Many of the visuals are sublime in their simplicity, with even something as straightforward as a musical cue or the abrupt end of a long, unbroken shot feeling like a revelation. The sheer length of certain shots results in a strangely hypnotic sensation, which isn’t unpleasant.

O Trio em Mi Bemol won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, and on some levels the active viewing that’s required to make sense of events will be a challenge. But it’s a worthy undertaking, even if it’s not entirely obvious just how to add up the sum of all the film’s various parts.   

Oliver Johnston

O Trio em Mi Bemol (The Kegelstatt Trio) does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Berlin Film Festival 2022 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Berlin Film Festival website here.