''Revolução sem sangue'' (lit. Revolution without blood) is a 2024 Portuguese film directed by Rui Pedro Sousa. The film, the director's debut feature, was released on April 11, 2024, in Portugal so as to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the

Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution (), code-named Operation Historic Turn (), also known as the 25 April (), was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Portugal. The coup produced major socia ...

, which it depicts. Despite that revolution being largely considered a "bloodless" one, the film focuses on fourThe official number of victims is 5. persons who were killed during the events. That is why the title, after being shown as ''Revolução sem sangue'' in the opening credits is stylised ''Revolução ~~sem~~ sangue'' (Revolution ~~without~~ blood) in the end credits (which is rendered as ''Revolução (sem) sangue'' in certain media). The film is based on real events that took place on April 24–26, 1974, in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

Premise

João Arruda is an Azorean student at the

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; ) is a public university, public research university in Lisbon, and Portugal's largest university. It was founded in 1911, but the university's present structure dates to the 2013 merger of the former Universit ...

and is interested in Marxism and political philosophy. Fernando Giesteira works as a bartender, in the hope of studying later. Fernando Reis is a soldier, coming home to Lisbon for a few days.The path of the three young men, hoping for more freedom in the country, leads them in front of the seat of the

PIDE The International and State Defense Police (; PIDE) was a Portuguese security agency that existed during the '' Estado Novo'' regime of António de Oliveira Salazar. Formally, the main roles of the PIDE were the border, immigration and emigrati ...

, in Lisbon, on 25 April 1974. There, António Lage works as a civil servant, but his scruples become unbearable when he witnesses a young woman (Inês) being tortured, and he decides to quit his position. As the radio reports that a growing gathering of the population supported by the army is happening in the city, the director of the PIDE decides to have compromising documents burnt and let Inês be released in the morning. But in the evening she comes back among the crowd, accompanied by her young daughter, to join the demonstrations and shout her anger before the seat of the PIDE. From the windows of the building, the PIDE starts shooting on the crowd. Inês is hit by a bullet but Fernando Reis manages to drag her unconscious out of the shooters' range. João Arruda and Fernando Giesteira are shot, while Fernando Reis is accidentally shot by another soldier while trying to catch Lage, who had surrendered but is also shot as he is running away. All four men die; the fate of Inês is unclear.

Cast

* as Fernando Giesteira *Rafael Paes as João Arruda *Diogo Fernandes as Fernando Reis *Manuel Nabais as António Lage *Teresa Vieira as Inês *Helena Caldeira as Rita, Fernando Giesteira's girlfriend

Production

The film was shot on location in Lisbon. It was produced with the help of familiars of the victims.

Reception

'' Público'' found the film sincere but as surprising in its good as in its bad aspects. Another review praised the intentions of the film.

Notes

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 18253426 2024 drama films 2024 films Portuguese historical drama films Drama films based on actual events Films set in 1974 Films set in Lisbon Films shot in Lisbon 2020s Portuguese-language films