Tagline:

A motley crew of thespians and nerds live off esoteric fantasies and repressed desires—until they are transported into a 16th-century Gil Vicente play.

Synopsis:

Gil Vicente, The Frog and The Ass is a surreal tragicomedy that follows the relationship between Afonso, who spends his days working in an antique bookstore, painting medieval miniatures, and rereading the plays of Gil Vicente, and Carminho, his fiancée, who divides her time between walking her donkey Moses, conversations with her best friend Margarida, and a vague feeling of dissatisfaction. At the center of the story is an unlikely love triangle involving Afonso, Carminho, and Celeste, an amateur actress rehearsing the play “The Farce of Inês Pereira” who shares with Afonso a fondness for the plays of Gil Vicente.

The relationship between Afonso and Carminho shows signs of wear. He retreats into increasingly prolonged silences, while she begins to suspect possible infidelity. Celeste invites Afonso to attend a rehearsal of the play, and an ambiguous bond begins to grow between them—fuelled by meetings in graveyards, sexual innuendo and conversations about medieval clothing. Disconcerted, Carminho proposes a trip to Alentejo to rekindle her relationship with Afonso, even though Afonso is more interested in visiting the menhirs near Reguengos de Monsaraz. During the trip, Carminho reads Afonso’s messages and discovers his relationship with Celeste.

Upon returning to Lisbon, Afonso and Carminho decide to separate for a while. Carminho temporarily moves into Margarida’s house—an enthusiast of psychoanalysis and addicted to goose barnacles—while Afonso sinks even further into his hermit-like existence, trying to resist the temptation to see Celeste again. Carminho is persuaded by Margarida to try frog poison (inspired by South American shamanic practices) in an attempt to gain clarity about her life choices. When she awakens, she discovers that Afonso has been feeding her beloved donkey, Moisés, in her absence. Concerned, Carminho runs to the field where Moisés lives to make sure he is not overfeeding the donkey, who has a sensitive stomach. However, unbeknownst to her, Afonso has arranged to meet Celeste in that same field to discuss the historical fidelity of the play’s costumes. A final confrontation between the three main characters ends with Afonso accidentally injured by a kick from Moses.

The narrative then moves to a parallel setting: a Gil Vicentian reality in which the characters take on the roles from “The Farce of Inês Pereira.” The shift from everyday life to theatrical representation happens without warning, as the line between the two subtly dissolves.

“Gil Vicente, the Frog and The Ass” is a modern satire that pays homage to the tradition of Portuguese theatre while addressing themes such as love, identity, sexuality, infidelity, social roles, and the tension between freedom and conformity. By evoking works such as “O Auto da Barca do Inferno” and “A Farsa de Inês Pereira,” the film shows how Gil Vicente’s critical thinking continues to offer a lucid and provocative lens through which to observe human dilemmas—yesterday and today.

Project representatives:

Zeina Badran

Fadi Saghbiny (Director and Writer)