Dreaming of Lions

Sonhar com Leões

Portugal, Brazil, Spain | 2024 | 85 min

Language: Portuguese, Spanish

Subtitles: English

Suitable for audiences aged 12 and above

Director(s): Paolo Marinou-Blanco

Script: Paolo Marinou-Blanco

Cast: Denise Fraga, João Nunes Monteiro, Joana Ribeiro, Sandra Faleiro, Alexander Tuji, Roberto Bomtempo, Victoria Guerra, António Durães, Asun Planas, Dinarte Freitas, Filipe Rocha, Maria Nasser, Jovem Gilda

Production: Promenade, Darya Films, Capuri, Cinètica produccions

Distribution: Coccinelle Film Sales

Drama | Dark Comedy

Memento Mori Friendship Body Talking Point

Screenings:

"A famous Bob Dylan verse relates that “he not busy being born is busy dying”. And the primary characters of Paolo Marinou-Blanco’s Dreaming of Lions take that sentiment literally: plagued by terminal illnesses, they plot and scheme to end their lives, only to discover further existential barriers. So, enter the creepy “dying” consultants Joy Transition International, of the Portuguese director’s own invention, although their intricate services are another bureaucratic hurdle. Chancy in its comic target, yet always meaning well – if not proving funny or insightful enough – Marinou-Blanco’s second feature, following the well-received Goodbye Irene almost two decades ago, premiered as the opening film of the Tallinn Black Nights Critics’ Picks Competition."

David Katz, Cineuropa

Updated 2025-08-26 16:45:08 UTC