The Daughters of Fire

A three-split-screen musical with three women singing about the everyday trials and hardships of the working-class just after a volcano has erupted? Oh, yeah, gimme more of that.

Impressive cinematography, as to be expected from this filmmaker. Perhaps best used as an opening short prior to a viewing of THE DEATH OF EMPEDOCLES, together forming a double feature about suffering and volcanos.

Costa recontextualises his distinctive imagery and focus on dislocated Cape Verdeans in the form of a kind of operatic musical, featuring split screen panels of 3 women singing over an arrangement of Biagio Marini’s “Passacaglia (Opus 22). It is an interesting experiment from a director who has perhaps become too comfortable operating within his signature style, and while the documentary footage is somewhat jarring, this is a promising test run for a future feature currently in development.