Menu
© 2026 The Couch Critic
Browse 5 movies from Wonder Maria Filmes
A family with a long history (and many members) gathers around a table in a mansion in southern Portugal. The region has transformed from a depressed area into a thriving tourist destination. Kisses, hugs, and greetings quickly turn into complaints and reproaches surrounding the big issue: What should be done with Daddy’s house? It is a tempting piece of cake, laden with rich family memories. But progress cannot be stopped.
Apr 2026
Persian-Kurdish Lela and her American daughter June take a trip to the romantic Azores after a recent loss, both with polar opposite views about why they’re there, how to grieve, and the size of June’s tiny bikini. Amidst honeymooners, the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and their hot, philosophical tour guide, João, the pair find each other… coming back to life.
Jun 2025
On October 12, 1972, during a student meeting at the former Higher Institute of Economic and Financial Sciences, a PIDE/DGS agent shot two students. One of them, José Ribeiro Santos, died soon after at Santa Maria Hospital. His death sparked massive protests, and his funeral became a symbol of resistance against the dictatorship. More than a year before the April 25 Revolution, students declared, “That day, we lost our fear.” Diana Andringa’s documentary revisits this event through testimonies and reflections on its lasting impact on a generation and on Portuguese society.
Oct 2022
Sugar is sweet, seductive, addictive - but built on human suffering. This feature-length reveals how an enticing luxury became the engine of a global system powered by slavery, exploitation and environmental destruction, a legacy still shaping the world today. From the 19th-century slave plantations to modern refineries in the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Reunion, India, South Africa and Europe, the series traces how sugar fuelled colonial empires, drove some of the worst aspects of international trade and commerce, and left deep social and ecological scars that are still present in labour abuses and exhausted landscapes today.
Oct 2025
Toppling statues and symbols, building new memories, framing the altered landscape, writing letters to the future, and reversing power dynamics: Big Bang Henda is a documentary-poetry-manifesto about the work of Angolan artist Kiluanji Kia Henda.
Oct 2023