Northwest Film Forum

Acclaimed by many critics as the best film of 2006, COLOSSAL YOUTH follows the adventures of Ventura, a new addition to Costa’s makeshift studio system. Many of his friends, including Vanda (now with child), have been relocated from Fontaínhas to an antiseptic housing block. Partly disabled from a workplace accident, Ventura is concerned his home won’t have enough room for his “children”: as Costa encounters them, he hears their deeply personal stories of struggle. A luminous glow radiates from Ventura and his friends, revealing them as souls unable to find rest. Costa shot 320 hours of footage over 15 months to make this cryptic masterpiece. As usual, Costa presents a chorus of voices, but here the words are clearly thought out, creating a precision that is overwhelming.