Families are often plagued by crises: a precarious financial situation, unemployment, dissent, members leaving in the hope of a better life, a feeling of being stifled, discontentment at the society around, medical challenges, the abandonment of old age and a general feeling of being cheated. These are some of the very problems that nations deal with concerning their population. It takes a charismatic leader to convince such people that their best interests are safe in the hands of the government. But when such a leader works to convince the people to vote for a bill that is in reality beneficial only for a few rich and powerful people, compromising the solidarity of the country for petty personal gains, the population needs to take notice and raise their voice for their country. When different members of the Sebastian family come to a head with the government, each for their reason, they decide not to go down without a respectable fight. They go to great lengths to expose the sinister plans of those scheming to sell their country to the highest bidder. Do they succeed in exposing the plans of the traitors who are in positions of power? Can they expose the wolf in the sheep clothing for everyone to see?
‘Portugal is not for sale’ is a narrative feature from director André Badalo. Andre takes the comic route to bring tot he limelight, some very serious issues that plague not just Portugal, but many countries around the world. The legitimacy of foreign investment, the corporatization of business, the multi-national corporations edging out the small businesses, government health schemes propagating lies and the smothered voices of senior citizen are some of the topics picked for this film. Weaving a realistic story around each of these issues, the director then integrated into the warps and wefts the magic of humour and drama to create a product that is entertaining to the senses as well as food for the intellect. The gripping pace of the film accentuates the drama that unfolds. It also provides the viewer with enough breathers to pause and smell the flowers. In a film encompassing such a wide variety of characters, the brilliant work by the casting department deserves a very special mention. Each artist brings to life the pain underneath the character, but not before extracting a smile for the character with their performance.
In a world where international borders begin to fade before foreign investments, ‘Portugal is not for sale’ is a wakeup call for every nationalist who believes in the romanticism of national pride and unity.
