Dildotectnica / Dildotectonics (2023) Toms Paula Marques

Two stories separated by time and united by the concept of a ceramic dildo. In contemporary days, Rebeca tries out the artisanal manufacture of dildos that is not totally dominated by the usual heteronormative and phallic image. Centuries earlier, a discovery of a similar object unleashed an illicit relationship. A person who makes pottery explains why started making dildos: economic issues, the desire to counteract the sex toy industry, to be able to escape – as much as possible – the phallic forms, exploring new materials and textures. This is when the film moves from the documentary style to the realms of musical fable, with secluded recluses dressed in habits from bygone days. This is because, in the Inquisition archives, the story of Josefa, who loved women and resorted to objects (dildos) to extend her pleasure and theirs, was discovered. Dildotectonics (the art of building dildos) is a film that combines historical fantasy with archives and telluric desire with transtemporal romanticism, through narrative solutions that defy any filmic conventions. The result is a sweet tale sung about the possibility of resignifying the past, of recovering figures forgotten by the historical canon, and of refounding the myths of love. (Ricardo Vieira Lisboa)