Monday Morning Maybe

Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for Abraham's Valley

Abraham's Valley

Seen it?

1993 | 204 min | Drama

Saturday Specialearly rating

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It earned strong reviews (86% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite almost no lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for anyone who loves a strong drama.
The mood
Thoughtful and character-driven.
The pace
Unhurried and epic, at 3 hr 24 min.
What might put you off
  • It's long: 3 hr 24 min.
  • It's in Portuguese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

Ema is a very attractive but innocent girl, so pretty that cars crash in her presence. In her youth she marries Dr. Carlos Paiva, her father's friend, to whom she is not attracted. They move to the valley of Abraham. Carlos loves her, but decides to sleep in a separate room to avoid waking Ema when he has to return late at night. As time goes by she begins to feel unhappy about her marriage, so she finds a new lover.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    86% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsWeak

    0 wins and 1 nomination from smaller awards and festivals

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 6K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

More like this

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Directed by Manoel de Oliveira

  • Leonor SilveiraEma Cardeano Paiva
  • Luís Miguel CintraCarlos de Paiva
  • Ruy de CarvalhoPaulino Cardeano
  • Cécile Sanz de AlbaEma (young)
  • Luís Lima BarretoPedro Luminares
  • Micheline LarpinSimona
  • Diogo DóriaFernando Osório
  • José PintoCaires
  • Filipe CochofelFortunato
  • João PerryPedro Dossém