‘When I play, I disappear,’ says Eurídice, whose dream of the Vienna Conservatory is destroyed by the men of the family. If only she could find the person closest to her, her sister Guida… Entranced by love on a sultry night, she ran away with a Greek sailor. The sisters’ painful longing for each other is as powerful and beautiful as the blinding blue skies of the Rio de Janeiro coast, the rustling of the rainforests, and the depths of the ocean. Grievously, fate chooses to separate the sisters for life.

Both the film and the novel upon which it is based, ‘The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão’ by Martha Batalha, take place in the 1950s, when women faced the adversity of a conservative society. An emotionally saturated and sensual melodrama, the film was awarded the Prix un Certain Regard at Cannes, and was Brazil’s entry for the Oscars. Unless your heart is made of stone, ‘Estranha Forma de Vida’, sung by legendary fado queen Amália Rodrigues and played over the end credits, will stay with you long after you’ve left the cinema.