Our Father: The Last Days of a Dictator (2026)
Pai Nosso: Os Últimos Dias de Salazar
Director: José Filipe Costa
Cast: Jorge Mota, Catarina Avelar, Vera Barreto, Carolina Amaral, Cleia Almeida
Did you know? In real life, António de Oliveira Salazar's family and advisors kept him in a state of complete delusion for over a year after his stroke, even going so far as to stage fake cabinet meetings and create a fictional "government bulletin" to maintain the illusion that he was still ruling Portugal.
Why Watch: This haunting political drama is a must-watch for its chillingly relevant exploration of power, manipulation, and the lies we tell ourselves. *Our Father* masterfully turns a bizarre historical footnote into a gripping psychological thriller, exposing the fragile reality behind a lifelong dictator. It’s a riveting, unsettling portrait of how the truth can be hidden, even from the man at the top.
Portugal, 1968. The world’s longest-ruling fascist dictator, António de Oliveira Salazar, takes a fall from a chair and suffers a stroke. As he returns to the São Bento palace to recover, he has already been stripped of his role as President of the Council—but the truth is hidden from him. His devoted housekeeper Maria de Jesus, the maids Aparecida, Socorro, and Teresinha, and even his personal physician all conspire in silence. For two full years, Salazar lives inside a carefully woven illusion, convinced he still holds power, until his death in 1970.