1618 (2021) Movie Review

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1618 – Movie Review

Director: Luis Ismael

Writer: Luis Ismael (Screenplay)

Cast

Pedro Laginha
Francisco Beatriz (Ministerio do Tempo)
Catarina Lacerda
Mafalda Banquart
Afonso Pacheco

Plot: The Inquisition continues the persecution of Portuguese Jews, sending Visitador Sebastião Noronha to the city of Oporto. With his family and community in danger, António Álvares, decides to outline an escape plan.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: 1618 starts as we see how the Christians have forced the Jews into becoming New Christians. The Portuguese city of Porto sees both religions reluctantly getting along, unless a Jew speaks out. Antonio Alvares (Laginha) looks to escape this city with his family after becoming concerned about his people’s treatment.

However, when Visitador Sebastiao Noronha (Beatriz) arrives in the city, the rules become stricter. This makes escaping even more difficult for Antonio and his family. Meanwhile, other Jews are starting to want to step up against the Christian hierarchy.

Verdict on 1618

1618 is a historical drama that follows the rising tension between two religions in Porto. It shows how the Jews were being forced into a world they weren’t prepared to follow and how people looked to help let them escape this world.

This is a solid fact-based exploration into the moment in history that religions are going through. It gets to explore the battle between the two sides and how important finding freedom is. This is going at a slower pace, which seems to hold a lot of the more intense material back. However, this ends up seemingly just putting the points forward and moving on.

Where to Watch: ‘1618’ WILL BE RELEASED ON MAJOR US VOD/EST PLATFORMS 4/7/23

Final Thoughts – 1618 is an interesting dive into history.