Ery Claver

Our Lady of the Chinese Shop (Nossa Senhora da Loja do Chinês)

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Director Ery Claver Composer Ismael Suama Cast Cláudia Púcuta, David Caracol, Willi Ribeiro

On the Edge

Edition 2022

Official Selection

98' - 2022 - Drama - Dialogue: Portuguese, Mandarin

A mysterious statue of the Virgin Mary is supposed to bring relief to the inhabitants of post-colonial Luanda in the Angolan allegory Our Lady of the Chinese Shop. How many miracles can a plastic figure make possible?

When a Chinese merchant brings to a neighbourhood of Luanda a peculiar holy plastic figure of Our Lady, a mourning mother will seek peace, a committed barber starts a new cult and a stray kid will look for revenge for his lost friend. This bizarre urban tale will reveal a family and city facade full of resentment, greed and torment.

"An unsettling postmodern cacophony as provocative as it is daring, a perfect summation of this work of extraordinary importance in terms of contemporary African cinema, and its perpetual quest to look back at the past while forging its way towards the future." - International Cinephile Society