Screenplays can take years to finish, but that was not the case for Amelia’s Children filmmaker Gabriel Abrantes. The director talked about his first rate horror/thriller, and elaborated why penning the script was not an overlong process. Amelia’s Children is now out in theaters and available On Demand, and in the interview he also talks about a couple of deleted scenes that were left on the cutting room floor.
Edward (Carloto Cotta) is searching for his biological family and his search leads to a spacious villa in the mountains of Northern Portugal. His girlfriend Ryley (Brigette Lundy-Paine) accompanies him on the trip. Meeting his twin brother (Cotta) and mother (Anabela Moreira, an absolute scene stealer as Amelia) puts Edward in a euphoric and understandably vulnerable state. When Ryley discovers that Edward’s family members might have ulterior motives, she tries to save herself and boyfriend from certain harm. Alba Baptista (Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris) co-stars as the younger version of Amelia.
A confident mixture of slow burn thriller, horror, and camp, Amelia’s Children is an absolutely enjoyable watch. Speaking of enjoyment, director Gabriel Abrantes seemed to have actual fun writing the script.
“I’m a very methodical person or I guess maybe a mix of like methodical and intuitive, but I’ve been watching a ton and reading a ton of horror and suspense and thrillers,” said Abrantles. “So that was sort of, you know, bubbling up inside of me. I wrote it quite quickly once I came up with this concept of the mom (had a) long lost son. (There was a) transgressive element to it and it sort of spilled out of me.
They say laughter is the best medicine, and that insight may apply to writing. “Once I found the humor in it, which for me is really important in general,” added Abrantes. “I started laughing while I’m doing it and having a lot of fun. So like that was the pleasure. And then I gave it to my closest friend Daniel Schmidt, who directed Diamantino with me and he (said) “Oh, this is great – it’s like a page turner.”
All three of us at CinemAddicts recommend Amelia’s Children. Check out our review on this week’s podcast:
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