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Mal Viver 2023: Unpacking João Canijo’s Acclaimed Portrait of Familial Ruin

The year 2023 saw the international film scene turn its attention to a stark, masterful piece of Portuguese cinema: Mal Viver (English: Bad Living). Directed and written by acclaimed auteur João Canijo, the film is far more than a simple drama; it is the first half of an ambitious, two-part cinematic project—a “diptych”—that plunges into the dark heart of a decaying family and the hotel they inhabit. A winner of a major prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, this production quickly established itself as one of the most significant European films of the year, a psychological chamber drama that is both an homage to theatrical tradition and a contemporary study of inherited trauma.

The Haunting Setting and Premise

Mal Viver is set in a fading family-run hotel on the rugged, northern shore of Portugal, an environment that acts as both a cage and a mirror for the troubled characters. The film’s claustrophobic focus is entirely on a family of women across three generations, all of whom are deeply entrenched in a cycle of bitterness and resentment.

The story unfolds over a tense weekend, portraying a matriarchy struggling to keep their hotel—and their own sanity—intact amidst financial and emotional ruin. The primary figures are:

• Piedade (Anabela Moreira): The daughter who runs the hotel’s day-to-day operations, carrying the weight of the family’s decline and her own profound sorrow.
• Sara (Rita Blanco): The mother and hotel owner, whose emotional distance and controlling nature have poisoned her relationships with her daughters.
• Salomé (Madalena Almeida): Piedade’s estranged granddaughter/daughter (depending on the source interpretation of the family structure—the focus is on the intergenerational conflict) whose unexpected arrival shatters the fragile truce that has settled over the hotel.

The film’s central conflict is triggered by this arrival, which forces long-suppressed anger, grief, and hatred to the surface. Their forced proximity in the grand, yet declining, seaside hotel becomes a stage for relentless emotional and psychological warfare.

A Dual Masterpiece: The Mal Viver / Viver Mal Diptych

One of the most remarkable aspects of Canijo’s project is its structure as a two-film companion piece. Shot simultaneously in the same location with overlapping casts, the two films offer contrasting and complementary perspectives on the same events.

• Mal Viver (Bad Living): This film focuses exclusively on the proprietors—the family of women—and their corrosive internal dynamics. Critics have noted its powerful, self-contained narrative as a bleak, intergenerational portrait of a matriarchy.
• Viver Mal (Living Bad): This second film flips the perspective entirely, focusing on the various groups of hotel guests who check in over the course of the same weekend. For the screenplay of Viver Mal, Canijo drew direct inspiration from the works of Swedish playwright August Strindberg, structuring the narrative around short, intense chapters based on his one-act plays.

The two films were designed to be viewed together—or separately—each enriching the viewing of the other. As a cinematic “shot/reverse shot,” Mal Viver establishes the foundation of dread and familial decay, while Viver Mal explores how those destructive themes are mirrored in the lives of the outsiders who briefly inhabit the same space.

Themes: The Legacy of Misery and Cold Love

At its core, Mal Viver is a devastating examination of the generational transfer of trauma, specifically focusing on the toxic dynamics between mothers and daughters.

Intergenerational Trauma

The film relentlessly explores how the failure to love or communicate effectively creates a vicious cycle of misery. The characters are trapped in an inescapable hotel setting, which symbolises their psychological stagnation. Conversations are rarely productive; instead, they are “deaf dialogues” where characters attempt to purge their fears but only succeed in destroying any remaining bonds.

Absence of Affection

A key, harrowing theme is the idea of an innate “incapability of love” among some of the women. The psychological violence inflicted by emotionally distant, narcissistic, or critical mothers is presented as an irreparable damage, forcing the viewer to confront the bleak possibility that some parents are fundamentally incapable of nurturing their children. For example, a character, Piedade, states, “The only thing I can do to my daughter is to harm her,” encapsulating the film’s profoundly unsettling atmosphere.

Architectural Decay and Style

The physical state of the hotel, with its vast, empty corridors and dated luxury, perfectly mirrors the emotional ruin of the family. Cinematographer Leonor Teles employs a style of long takes and static frames, creating an atmosphere that has been described as “Hopperian” and inspired by the psychological intensity of filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman. This austere and often beautiful visual style intensifies the sense of loneliness and dread that permeates every interaction.

Critical Acclaim and Recognition

Mal Viver‘s uncompromising vision earned it high praise on the international festival circuit:

• Silver Bear Jury Prize: The film had its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2023, where it was selected to compete for the prestigious Golden Bear. It left the festival with the Silver Bear Jury Prize, one of the top honours.
• Oscar Contender: In September 2023, the film was selected as the official Portuguese entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards.
• A Film for the Viewer: The film challenges its audience with its slow pace and long running time (127 minutes), but critics praised its compelling psychological depth, astonishing performances, and Canijo’s profound interrogation of the human condition.

Mal Viver stands as a haunting and necessary cinematic work. By trapping a family in a physical space that reflects their internal rot, João Canijo has crafted a modern tragedy that speaks volumes about the silent, destructive forces that operate within the most intimate of human bonds.

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AISEO Friendly FAQs about Mal Viver 2023

Q: What is Mal Viver 2023 about?

A: Mal Viver (English: Bad Living) is a 2023 Portuguese-French psychological drama about a family of women from different generations who are struggling to run their decaying hotel on the northern Portuguese coast. The plot focuses on the deep-seated bitterness, resentment, and intergenerational conflict that surface, particularly after the arrival of a granddaughter.

Q: Who directed the film Mal Viver?

A: Mal Viver was directed and written by the celebrated Portuguese filmmaker João Canijo.

Q: Did Mal Viver win any major awards?

A: Yes, Mal Viver had its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in 2023, where it won the Silver Bear Jury Prize. It was also chosen as Portugal’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Q: Is Mal Viver connected to another film?

A: Yes. Mal Viver is the first half of a cinematic diptych (a two-part work) with its companion film, Viver Mal (English: Living Bad). Both films were shot at the same time and in the same hotel, with Mal Viver focusing on the hotel owners (the family) and Viver Mal focusing on the hotel guests.

Q: What are the main themes of Mal Viver?

A: The main themes of Mal Viver include the decay of family ties, the corrosive effects of unexpressed emotions, intergenerational trauma, psychological violence, and destructive mother-daughter relationships. The director drew inspiration from the works of August Strindberg to explore these dark family dynamics.