Sérgio Graciano based his monumental new feature, Memories of Prison, on the writings by leading 19th-century Portuguese novelist Camilo Castelo Branco, produced during his yearlong imprisonment in Porto. The Portuguese director returned to the Tokyo International Film Festival for the Asian premiere of his new work in the Competition section on October 31, and appeared with actor Maria João Bastos, who plays Ana Augusta Plácido, the object of Branco’s affection who is also incarcerated, for the Q&A session after the screening.

Shot in a picturesque style that emphasizes the prison interior’s elaborate designs, this 167-minute-long work is less a straightforward narrative than an episodic dramatization of stories that the writer heard in prison from various criminals. This remarkable look at Branco’s experience ironically situates the period of his incarceration as one of the most creative periods, leading to the birth of Doomed Love: A Family Memoir, a classic 1862 romantic novel.

With Memories of Prison, which follows Graciano’s The Englishman’s Papers (2024), a complex work that also focused on a writer and screened in TIFF Competition two years ago, the director has now created another epic. Asked how this latest project came about, Graciano explained, “Actually, Camilo Castelo Branco was [chosen by] Paulo Branco, the producer, and he invited me to do it. Camilo is a very well-known writer in Portugal. He lived in the 19th century. He was a kind of Portuguese Charles Dickens or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He was very important because he always tells stories about Portugal, the culture, the society, and he’s an amazing character.”

The film’s landscapes are superbly captured, and the prison set’s production design is extremely meticulous. For the director, authenticity was a key to the project’s success. “There was no post-production. It was like everybody did movies in the 40s and 50s. So we have a special look to the art direction in this movie,” said Graciano. He also explained that they had created a set of the prison from scratch because the actual prison has since been turned into a museum and unavailable for shooting.

In 19th-century Portugal, adultery was against the law. Ana Augusta Plácido, a married woman and a writer herself, faced social condemnation and was also imprisoned for a year for her relationship with Branco and their challenge to the city’s sense of morality. Playing the role, Bastos was conscious of the difficulties women faced during that time. “She lives in this very, very heavy place with the judgment from the society. She fights against a lot of structures, the church, the family, the society, everything for this love,” said the actor. “In that time, she couldn’t probably express much like nowadays, but she has a lot of things going on inside, a lot of sadness, a lot of happiness. At the same time, it’s a paradox because she is in jail, but she’s free to leave her world finally.”

Although Memories of Prison recounts the term of imprisonment from the perspective of Branco, the presence of Plácido is significant to show how the same accusation can impact men and women differently. Bastos noted, “The movie also talks about the position women had in the 19th century and how women were treated in a different way. They [Branco and Plácido] commit the same crime and it’s totally different the way they are treated in the prison. For example, they [men] can go out, they can have dinner, they can have a different life. And even in society, the judgment she’s suffering, it’s very different from Camilo.”

She concluded, “Ana and Camilo are very famous in Portugal, and they have a huge history. This is a part of their story, but she was a fighter for women and defended women all the time.”

Competition: Memories of Prison
Q&A Guests: Sérgio Graciano (Director) and Maria João Bastos (Actor)