Abraham's Valley is a 1993 Portuguese drama film directed by Manoel de Oliveira, based on a novel by Agustina Bessa-Luís, and partially inspired by Gustave Flaubert's 1857 novel Madame Bovary. The film was selected as the Portuguese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 66th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.

Production

Abraham's Valley was filmed in 1.66:1 on 35 mm film.

Plot

Set in mid-20th century Portugal, in the vicinity of Lamego, Ema is a beautiful young girl who is married off to Carlos, an older doctor and friend of her father's. Dissatisfied, she takes several lovers.

Cast

Reception

Accolades and screenings

It won the Critics Award at the 1993 São Paulo International Film Festival and the Best Artistic Contribution Award at the 1993 Tokyo International Film Festival. It was screened at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for the film's 40th anniversary.