Looking in through half closed doors : A spatial reading of Pedro Costa’s engagement with the slums in his “Fontainhas trilogy”, Horse Money and Vitalina Varela

This thesis examines Pedro Costa’s engagement with the slums in his full-length feature films, spanning from Ossos (1999) to Vitalina Varela (2019). The portrayal of the slums and especially the now demolished neighborhood of Fontainhas is examined through a spatial lens informed by Henri Lefebvre’s theories on the production of space which means that space is produced through a triad of spaces, the perceived, conceived, and lived space, which together create social space, society. These concepts are employed to analyze real-life political and social contexts through spatial aspects present in the films, such as examining what areas of the city the characters can explore and interact with. Furthermore, the thesis discusses the shift in Costa’s films towards representing a mental experience of space rather than reflecting a physical existing space. The thesis further engages in the study of the cinematic depiction of the city often referred to as the cinematic city, and more specifically the slum, a part of the city underrepresented in cinema studies in comparison to the city itself. Previous research on Costa’s work often engages with the non-standard production methods employed, which this thesis also discusses when exploring the political and social contexts of the films which are influenced by Costa’s close collaborations with his actors.