Testamento

Filmed amid the heartstopping vistas of Cape Verde, Testamento is a charming and often comic tale of a wealthy and enigmatic businessman whose secret loves and lusty escapades are revealed only after his death. In his will, Mr. Napumoceno leaves his sizable estate to his illegitimate daughter -- who knew him only as "that pervert who follows me around." Listening to his taped memoirs, she becomes obsessed with uncovering details of her father's life, particularly the lovers he left behind.

Portuguese director Francisco Manso's directorial debut pulses softly with the colors and ambient light of the tiny coastal town of Mindelo; and Manso evokes a Mindelo that changes subtly but perceptibly over time, from its pastoral glory of the 1920s to the bustling burg of 1984, the year of Napumoceno's death. Adapted from a novel by native author Germano Almeida, starring a number of acclaimed Brazilian actors, and with a soundtrack featuring world-renowned Cape Verdean musician Tito Paris and diva Cesaria Évora, this lush, enchanting film is an impressive addition to the burgeoning canon of Portuguese cinema. At the Avon.

-- Peg Aloi