Gustavo Vinagre's debut feature, one of those films which remind us that sometimes a charming protagonist, who you just can't take your eyes off — as though hypnotised -, is enough to make your viewing experience unforgettable, captures a series of monologues performed by Julia, a trans woman, over the course of a single sleepless night. Her life has been filled with unusual moments and situations: a hedonistically motivated prostitute, porn star and director, or VHS tapes thief, choosing only those of no apparent interest to most people — arthouse films by Bergman or Woody Allen. Julia's greatest and most enduring passion is, however, Japanese culture. Her physical appearance, for that matter, betrays such influences: her facial features evoke Mizoguchi's geisha movies, while her posture and attire bring to mind the gentle heroines of Ozu's films, her favourite director. The most compelling element of her demeanour is the tone of voice — delicate and indicative of a spirited wit — in which she recounts all these to the director, jumping from one thing to the next like a modern-day Scheherazade. You could listen to her forever were it not for the unwelcome and unannounced arrival of dawn's first light. (Andrei Rus)