Filmmaker Sergio Oksman and his son Nuno play themselves in a surprising and delicate film that appropriates some horror film codes, or more broadly, those of the “scary stories” the teenager has recently become interested in. During summer vacation, the father-son duo stays in an abandoned hotel in Lisbon, a setting that deliberately evokes The Shining. Between strolls, various activities, and meetups with the father's friends, this precisely staged film also revisits family archives and footage shot for his previous projects. This includes an unfinished documentary on Diogo Alves, a serial killer in Lisbon in the late 1830s who inspired the first feature film shot in the city. Narrated by the filmmaker, this introspective film opens up several reflections on predetermination, transmission, father-son relationships, and the past that shapes and haunts us. (HSB)

Co-presented with Fantasia International Film Festival

North American Premiere

A Scary Movie