This hard-hitting drama, set in a rough neighbourhood of Lisbon, recalls Altman and Leigh in equal measures. Marcia, a mother of three, faces stark choices as she struggles to keep her family on an even keel. Her son is embroiled in trouble with a local gang boss; her daughter’s entanglement with a philandering professor threatens, meanwhile, to reveal dark family secrets. Superb performances from the ensemble cast, under Canijo’s virtuosic direction, give this intricate story a rare power.