When O Amor Natural of Carlos Drummond de Andrade appeared in the wonderful Dutch translation by August Willemsen, I started to dream about a film based on the poems in the book. At first I envisaged a film in which old people would simply read the poems.

Beautiful old people and beautiful poems: that was enough to make an interesting film. But after the research period in Rio de Janeiro, the film project became richer: thanks to the poems I was able to talk to wonderful old people about Drummond, about a part of their life, about - their memories of - sex and love. The poems sometimes functioned as a kind of corkscrew, sometimes as a glass of brandy.

After my stay there, I called the film for myself Love and Melancholy.

- Heddy Honigmann

  • Scenario & director:
    Heddy Honigmann
  • Camera:
    José Guerra
  • Sound:
    Noshka van der Lely
  • Editor:
    Marc Nolens
  • Translator poems:
    August Willemsen
  • Producer:
    Pieter van Huystee Film & TV
  • Length: 78 minutes; Format: 35 mm; Premiere: November 1996
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