El Cónsul de Burdeos

Historical drama about the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux who signed 30 thousand visas for safe passage to Portugal during WW2, in June 1940, defying direct orders from his government headed by Salazar. Among these visas, 10 thousand were for Jews.

And the movie is this and only this. It ends with him helping some refugees cross the border and then a caption saying that he died in 1954 in poverty. We don't get a glimpse of Aristides' past nor, more importantly, the consequences he suffered upon returning to Lisbon, this that would be the most interesting part. And a good part of the film is lost in a fictional story without any interest of a man who had a private interview with the consul, the film being not directly about the consul but rather about that man's memories about the consul. Give me a break...

Despite a good production (albeit television style), one or another scene with emotional impact and convincing performances, the movie does not present anything beyond its premise. I felt disappointed.