Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Horse Money Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 11, 2016

Pedro Costa's "Horse Money" a.k.a. "Cavalo Dinheiro" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Second Run. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers and teasers for the film; audio introduction by filmmaker Thom Andersen; film conversation with Pedro Costa; and the short film "O nosso homem". In Portuguese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature.

Ventura

Imagine being in a place where time has become so fluid that the mind can no longer separate the past from the present. The eyes can still see but you don’t know if what you see is real or imaginary. You can still hear but you don’t know if the voices calling your name and asking questions are real or coming from the back of your head.

You will try to make some sense of the things that you are experiencing. When you fail, you will try to follow your instincts. And when you fail again, you will experience fear. The fear will soon be replaced with a suffocating feeling of hopelessness that will slowly push you into the abyss of madness. Amidst the long black shadows you will wonder what it means to be alive. Then, after the fear returns, you will begin to wonder if you ever were alive.

Ventura, the main protagonist in Pedro Costa’s latest film (and his 2006 film Colossal Youth), is stuck in such a place -- but it is not an imaginary one. It is Lisbon and he has spent a large portion of his life there.

As Ventura attempts to recall his history with Fontaínhas, the large slum on the outskirts of Lisbon where thousands of immigrants like him used to live, his mind begins playing tricks on him. Men and women quietly emerge from the shadows and remind him about his sacrifices and the time when he was convinced that his life would turn out as he had dreamed it would. Sometimes he tries to listen to them and remember, but his mind frequently abandons them and overwhelms him with strange thoughts and images that perplex him. When it happens, he wonders if he might be going mad or if this is what it feels like when the soul begins to drift away from the body.

In the quiet hospital there are other patients like Ventura, but they don’t notice his presence. Even the doctors and nurses rarely see him as he walks down the empty corridors. This is one feeling Ventura knows well -- the majority of his life he has been an immigrant and has been treated like a ghost.

Costa’s latest film enters a world without boundaries that reminds of the one David Lynch’s characters frequently visit. At least initially it is really difficult to tell exactly what is real and imaginary or arrange its scattered pieces in a way that makes perfect sense.

However, if you are patient you will see that the ambiguity is actually intended. The isolation and the uncertainty Ventura struggles with are part of an experience many immigrants are routinely forced to endure in a foreign country, which is exactly the type of experience Costa attempts to replicate for you. Some casual familiarity with Portuguese history is probably required to be as effective as intended, but even without it the film should leave a lasting impression on you.

The film was shot digitally with the Panasonic AG-DVX100 camera. Many of the close-ups look incredibly sharp and clean, like carefully composed digital photographs.

Horse Money Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080/50i transfer, Pedro Costa's Horse Money arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Second Run.

The film was shot digitally and the overwhelming majority of it looks very sharp and clean. Some minor fluctuations in terms of depth are present, but they emerge in areas where light is intentionally manipulated (see the corridor footage in the beginning). Colors remain are stable and appear natural. Overall image stability is excellent. I noticed one segment with very light banding, but there are no serious encoding anomalies. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. However, if you reside in North America or another territory where 1080/50i isn't supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting 1080/50i to 1080/60i or 1080p in order to access its content).

Horse Money Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Portuguese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Portuguese LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film does not have an elaborate soundtrack. Rather predictably, dynamic intensity is quite limited. Depth and clarity, however, are very good. Balance is also good, though there are a few segments where some native unevenness is present. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

Horse Money Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - an audio introduction by filmmaker Thom Andersen, presented with photographs by Jacob Riis. The introduction was recorded at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles on December 13, 2015. In English, not subtitled. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Trailers - original trailers for Horse Money.
  
  1. UK Trailer (2 min).
  2. International Trailer (4 min).
  3. Teaser One (1 min).
  4. Teaser Two (1 min).
  5. Teaser Three (1 min).
  6. Teaser Four (1 min).

• Conversation - presented here is a filmed conversation between director Pedro Costa, writer and filmmaker Laura Mulvey, and Mehelli Modi from Second Run. Pedro Costa explains how 'the immigrant experience' became an important element of his work after he visited the Cape Verde islands, and discusses the nature of his relationship with Ventura (who appears in a number of the director's films), some of the important political overtones in Horse Money, the complex divisions that exist in contemporary Portugal, etc. The conversation was recorded during the UK premiere of Horse Money at ICA in London in September 2015. In English, not subtitled. (41 min).

• O nosso homem (2010) - a short film from Pedro Costa which again focuses on the 'immigrant experience' and the many difficult choices immigrants are forced to make. In Portuguese, with optional English subtitles. (26 min).

• Booklet - 20-page illustrated booklet featuring essays on the film by Jonathan Romney and Chris Fujiwara.

Horse Money Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Portuguese auteur Pedro Costa's latest film, Horse Money, enters a world that is frequently visited by David Lynch's characters, but its social overtones give it a very unique identity. It is a good film, but I think that it will be appreciated the most by viewers who are already familiar with Costa's work and like his style. This is the first Blu-ray release from British distributors Second Run and as such I think that it looks quite wonderful. RECOMMENDED.