At 71 years old, famous Portuguese writer José Cardoso Pires suffers a stroke which affects his ability to speak, read and write.
Unable to communicate and lost in a realm of “white shadows”, as he later calls it, the writer no longer recognises words.
This film freely adapts José’s story as told in his memoir De Profundis, Valsa Lenta, which describes how the writer overcame his worst nightmare and relearnt how to live in the world.
Followed by a discussion with Sara Ramos Pinto, subtitler of the film and chaired by Carol O’Sullivan, subtitling researcher, University of Bristol.