LEFFEST — Lisboa Film Festival is pleased to announce the presence of Viggo Mortensen, one of today's most renowned actors, at its 18th edition. On 16 November, at 9.30pm, at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre, Mortensen will be there to present his latest film as director, producer, screenwriter and star, The Dead Don't Hurt, which has its world premiere in Portugal.
It will be one of the highlights of the festival and a unique opportunity to watch this moving and acclaimed work, which marks the continuation of Mortensen's journey as a filmmaker, and at the end of the screening he will talk to the audience.
The Dead Don't Hurt follows the story of Vivienne (Vicky Krieps), a florist, and Holger (Viggo Mortensen), a carpenter, who build a life together in Nevada. Their happiness is interrupted by the Civil War, which forces Vivienne to fight for her survival in an increasingly hostile world. This haunting and poetic western, which mixes the harshness of conflict with a sensitive look at the human condition, is an ode to the resilience and strength of women.
Viggo Mortensen is known for his versatile and intense work, having been nominated three times for the Best Actor Oscar. In addition to his film career, he is also a poet, painter, photographer, composer and musician. His passion for the arts is evident in all his projects, including his most recent foray into directing.
Tickets are already on sale at the Tivoli BBVA Theatre box office and on Ticketline.
Sharp Magazine
“Thinking about it now, Western movies are often about the story of establishing a new frontier — for the United States, usually, or perhaps Canada. And I thought, ‘What a good setting to have for our story,’ which is about a woman who, in a way, is creating a new frontier just by being herself.”
– Viggo Mortensen.
Forbes
"Viggo Mortensen can do it all: In addition to being a remarkable actor and director, he’s also a seasoned musician and he even composed the score for The Dead Don’t Hurt. The music of a film is a key element in how spectators are going to remember it, but also in how they’re going to live the story. For a filmmaker, it’s also a way to guide the audience and sometimes to create a music that will act as a full character in itself."
"A few years ago, Mortensen got incredibly lucky and met Agnès Varda herself on a plane. While talking about Mortensen’s next project, which at the time was his directorial debut, Falling, Varda told him to make sure to not show the audience anything, but rather to make them want to see things.
I asked Mortensen how this incredible piece of advice had changed his perspective on filmmaking, and if he felt an influence, a shift in his approach as a film director since then. He said, “It kind of confirmed what I thought and gave me the confidence to act on it. That’s a really good guide, because a movie, and I think you can see this in The Dead Don’t Hurt, it’s just as important what you don’t show, what the characters don’t say, as what you do show and what they do say.”