La Durmiente explores the story of the medieval Infanta Beatriz of Portugal through fabulation and children’s imagination. Shot at the Monastery of Sancti Spiritus in Toro, Spain, where her tomb lies, these children stage and interpret fragments of the life of this character erased by history.
La Durmiente is based on a re-enactment of the figure of Infanta Beatriz of Portugal, proclaimed queen at just 10 years old during the Portuguese dynastic crisis in 1383. A group of children take on the roles, bringing to life situations at court between dinners and meetings, moments of leisure and exploration of space. The film fictionalises and documents, plays with genres, refines details, gestures and looks. The subtilty of the characters and their gracefulness rhythms the beauty of the images. (Carlota Gonçalves)
