Hovering Over the Water
Hovering Over the Water is a 1986 Portuguese film written and directed by João César Monteiro.
Cast
- Laura Morante as Laura Rossellini
- Philip J. Spinelli as Robert Jordan
- Manuela de Freitas as Sara
- Georges Claisse as Antoine
- Teresa Villaverde as Rosa
- Sérgio Antunes as Roberto
- Rita Figueiredo as Maria
- Haddy Moss as head terrorist
- Gerd Volkmar as 1st terrorist
- Frederick Ooms as 2nd terrorist
- João César Monteiro as Stavroguine
- Conceição Guerra as Senhora Amélia
Production
The film was shot in various locations in Algarve between September and November of 1985.Analysis
There is a significant number of references to other films and arts, including to the Italian Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca, to Kenji Mizoguchi's film The Crucified Lovers, and to Roberto Rossellini.Release
The film had a preview screening at the Cinemateca Portuguesa on October 2, 1986 and was only released in theaters ten years later, in 1996.The film was screened as part of a complete retrospective on João César Monteiro's work by the Museum of Modern Art, in October 2025.
Reception
José Navarro de Andrade wrote a positive review after its premiere in 1996, saying that "never have the yellow of the sandstone, the blue of the sea, and that undeniable light of the Algarve had such a glorious celebration as in Hovering Over the Water".João Bénard da Costa called the title "beautiful".