The latest film by director (and actor) Zeca Medeiros has the evocative title “The Mystery of the Floating Archipelago.”
Having seen other films by Zeca Medeiros in the past, which I now remember as “O
livreiro de Santiago” (The Bookseller of Santiago) and “Escrito no basalto” (Written in Basalt), unique works that I have fond memories of, it was with great anticipation that I went to the iconic Casa dos Açores in Lisbon on September 18 to the emblematic Casa dos Açores in Lisbon to attend the premiere of Zeca’s new work.
At the time, I had no information about the film, although I was convinced, given the title, that the Azorean ethos would prevail or be an essential ingredient of the
plot. And so it is, even though it expands into other universes…
A syncretic work, the film is populated by numerous cultural references, whether Portuguese, particularly from the Azores, or from other latitudes. The name of one
of the central characters in the film is Ismael, inspired by the famous sailor from Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick,” with many other references taken from the writings of Shakespeare, Camões, and Fernando Pessoa, among others. In this respect, Zeca Medeiros continues to surprise us with characters and episodes from Portuguese culture
and history, which he discovers in old trunks, the fruit of his painstaking research. Such is the case of Mateus Álvares, from Terceira, the “King of Ericeira,” who proclaimed himself, at the end of the 16th century, King Sebastian, survivor of Alcácer Quibir. In “O livreiro de Santiago” (The Bookseller of Santiago), Zeca surprised us with a fictionalized account of the life of Manuel Carlos George Nascimento, the first publisher in Chile of Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda. The film spreads out in several directions…
After the nuclear holocaust, the Azores, having escaped destruction, evolve in a closed circuit, but there are those among its natives who cannot resist the temptation to
venture into the tunnel that leads to the radiation zone…
As an aside, God willing, if some madman presses the “red button,” the Azores
will continue to float, by the grace of the Holy Spirit… That is to say, it will not be a priority target, as it is a strategic point (remember the Lajes Base).
Lending itself to countless readings and interpretations, the work also reflects, in my opinion, the situation of most ordinary mortals, adrift in today’s complex world, characterized by extreme ideologies, moral relativism, new dictatorships, genocides,
climate change, etc., perhaps at the dawn of a new international order, where the salvation of the afflicted requires a connection to their ancestors, represented by the
anchor, symbol of Hope.
It should be noted, in another aside, that in the city of Ponta Delgada, Azores, on a wall above the bench where Antero de Quental committed suicide, there is an anchor crossed
by the word Hope.
In conclusion, as the reader will have already realized, “The Mystery of the Floating Archipelago” is an intriguing, fantastical, dreamlike work, punctuated by moments of comedy, due to the absurd situations and dialogues it contemplates, but also by moments of peace and pure magic created by the sweet voice of Filipa Pais.
I must say that I hold Zeca Medeiros in high esteem. Not because I share most of his ideological views, but because his work reveals a great knowledge of the Azoreans and the islands, because it is imbued with Portuguese culture, and because it reveals undeniable human qualities and artistic sensitivity. It is no secret that Zeca loves Lisbon, not as much as his island of São Miguel. Still, it is a fact that he loves the Portuguese capital and Portuguese culture, which has led him to research and discover forgotten figures such as Mateus Álvares and others. It was comforting to socialize on opening night with this “dream supercharger,” whose films are to be savored, and many other friends, in a relaxed gathering atmosphere.
With Zeca Medeiros, and others like him, Portuguese culture lives on!
Lisbon, September 26, 2025
Eduardo Brito Coelho
(from São Miguel, former president of the board of Casa dos Açores in Lisbon)

In Atlântico Expresso, Natalino Viveiros, director.