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Philosophy of a crime

A woman lies on the floor in a pool of blood.
In an abandoned building, a mysterious man, dressed in black, keeps another man hostage. He is an overbearing and rough man, who doesn’t hesitate to point a gun to his hostage’s head. A highly intelectual speech, which wields a cruel psychological torture over the victim, thickens even more the mystery about himself.
A story whose outlines we are unaware of, but that we know will end in a tragic death.

  • Paulo Araújo
    Director
    The Portrait, Nico, The Treasure
  • Paulo Araújo
    Writer
  • Paulo Araújo
    Producer
  • Fábio Timor
    Key Cast
  • Rui Félix
    Key Cast
  • Isabel Feliciano
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Filosofia de um crime
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Thriller, Film Noir
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 21 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 10, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    500 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Portugal
  • Country of Filming:
    Portugal
  • Language:
    Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The Indie For You Film Festival

    September 18, 2020
    World Premiere
    Best Film Noir
  • Gravedigger Dave's Anthology Festival

    United States
    March 31, 2021
    Honorable Mention
Director Biography - Paulo Araújo

Paulo Araújo is a portuguese filmmaker. He is also a musician, graphic designer and illustrator.
As an illustrator, he collaborated with leading Portuguese newspapers such as “Diário de Notícias”, “Dinheiro Vivo”, and the magazines “Visão” and “Lux Woman”. He has published in the renowned international digital art magazine “Exotique”.
He directed and produced the short films “Nico” (2013); “The Treasure” (2015); “The Portrait” (2018), winner of Shortcutz Viseu #151 (Portugal, 2020); “Philosophy of a Crime” (2020), Best Film Noir at The Indie For You Film Festival (2020) and Honorable Mention at Gravedigger Dave's Anthology Festival, USA, 2021; and the latest “A Quarter to Eleven” and “Mother” (2021).
He owns the Youtube channel “Artista de Plástico”, about illustration, photography and video tutorials.

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Director Statement

TARKOVSKI, TCHÉKHOV* AND TARANTINO WALK INTO A BAR…
or
THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE THREE “T”

There is a certain conflict, a contradiction I would say, in what appeals to me in cinema, literature, in all forms of art.

If, on the one hand, I admire the poetic and nostalgic cinema of Tarkovski, with its material and emotional textures and its intellectual depth, on the other hand I deeply enjoy the graphic violence and the crossed stories, almost always dominated by cruel and ordinary characters, of the Tarantino movies. I don’t miss out on a good action movie or a psychological thriller with a film noir style, whether it is the most recent production or revisiting a classic.

In Anton Chékhov’s writing it is difficult to find the usual components of a plot, i.e., starting point, conflict, climax and resolution. The story in itself doesn’t exist. What we see is a world of tragic conflicts behind everyday trivialities. The drama of life itself – of the ordinary life, flat, as it is in reality. The subtleties of the fragile and contradictory inner self of the human being.

The script of this movie is built from a small excerpt of the short story of the Russian author “Ward No. 6”, but it is set in a different context, in a completely different reality.

“Philosophy of a Crime” is a cinematographic exercise that is brought to life by the influence of these three creators, apparently so different from each other.

(* In Portuguese spelling Chékhov is written Tchékhov.)