In a time when care and vulnerability are frequently (mis) understood as weaknesses, recognizing the importance of interdependence is vital.

From cellular processes to real-life examples of daily life in Montemor-o-Novo, this film is a call for revalorising our need for connection in a growing individualised western society.

Drawing parallels with how cells rely on each other for survival, this project seeks to challenge the narratives of competitiveness and domination that are still used as a natural justification for the construction of our self-oriented societies. Exposing the cultural projections that the man himself has inscribed in nature, this project aims to bring the stories that science has historically marginalized. The ones that acknowledge our primal need for connection, community, and cooperation.

Just as cells coordinate with one another, the people of Montemor-o-Novo are a unique example that re-invigorates a vision of social cooperation and community. Blending the elements of a video essay and an experimental documentary, this film’s essence lies in the exploration of interdependence, spanning from cellular structures to entire societies. Our purpose is not only to critically rethink our preconceived scientific ideas, but to signify our stories and culture here in the Iberian Peninsula.