Filmmaker explores Salazar's final years, highlighting regime's deception

Filmmaker José Filipe Costa delves into the final, tumultuous years of Portuguese dictator António de Oliveira Salazar in his latest documentary, "Pai Nosso – Os Últimos Dias de Salazar" (Our Father – The Last Days of Salazar). Costa began his deep dive into the farce surrounding Salazar's end in 2018, culminating in the film's release in 2023 after a meticulous five-year period of writing and rewriting the screenplay.

The documentary promises to uncover the "insólita história" – the unusual story – of the dictator's final days. Costa's research suggests a stark contrast between the regime's outward image and its internal reality, particularly during its closing chapter. He notes that the period was marked by a pervasive atmosphere of untruth, encapsulated by the paradoxical command: "You shall not lie, but lie always."

Costa posits that this environment of deception was "very characteristic of Salazar's regime." The film aims to shed light on the complexities and perhaps the hidden truths behind the end of a long and authoritarian rule in Portugal. The documentary's release offers a contemporary look at a pivotal and often debated period in Portuguese history.

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“You shall not lie, but lie always,” is very characteristic of Salazar's regime.