© O Som e a Furia, Tarantula
Projecto Global, directed by Portugese filmmaker Ivo M. Ferreira, positions itself as a political thriller in the tradition of Costa-Gavras, portraying conspiracy and systemic anger in both hectic and stylistically cool fashion. At its best, the film channels the atmosphere of this lineage effectively; at worst, it feels unsure of what, exactly, it wants to argue.
Directed by: Ivo M. Ferreira
Year: 2026
Country: Portugal, Luxembourg
Length: 141 minutes
Set in in the early 1980s, during the aftermath of Portugal’s post-Carnation Revolution era, the film fictionalizes the operations and, primarily, the fall of FP-25, a Marxist-Leninist armed group that enacted direct action through robberies and attacks to fight what they believed was a persisting fascist regime.
In the lead is Rosa (played by Jani Zhao), a theatre actress and revolutionary, a woman fully committed to her cause, compulsively reciting revolutionary slogans wherever she goes. Her group consists Quieroz (Isac Graça), Jaime (José Pimentão) among FP-25 operatives, all struggling to maintain their radical views amidst increasing rammifications of their actions. A significant subplot involves Marlow, a police officer tasked with the investigation of the group and a former lover of Rosa who is also involved with her sister, creating a fractious counterpoint to the political nature of the film.
The film opens with genuine force, as we witness the aftermath of a worker who has committed suicide during a worker’s protest. The sequence is filled with a sense of despair, portraying economic and political betrayal with a strong sence of immediacy. The film’s portrayal of direct action by the group is then well-shot, sharply paced and immersively staged; a thrilling bank heist sequence, followed by tense shoot-outs immediately pull the viewer in and make them root for the protagonists.
Yet for a film that positions itself as a political thriller, Projecto Global struggles to coherently articulate a staunch political position. At times, Ferreira seems to imply that fascism is already of the past, as the characters are continuously told this by fellow comrades.The narrative occasionally drifts into a strange fatalism which increases as the plot progresses, as if radical action is inherently futile. Compounding this is the distracting love triangle subplot between Rosa, Marlow, and Rosa’s sister. It feels less radically invested, perhaps in an effort to broaden the film’s commercial appeal or to add emotional stakes. Instead, it diffuses the tension and distracts from the film’s political core. Scenes that should deepen the political stakes instead pivot towards interpersonal conflict, which undermines the thriller’s momentum.
At over two hours, the film seems unsure how to sustain its focus. It is overlong and tonally scatters, constantly shifting between high-stakes political display and interpersonal melodrama. There are flashes of something sharper in there, but Projecto Global ultimately lacks the didactic clarity and structural discipline that makes the genre it draws from so acclaimed.
Projecto Global premiered at the 2026 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) as part of the festival’s Big Screen Competition.
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