Il corpo di Dio

João César Monteiro's cinematic practice, as demonstrated in his trilogy, is fundamentally rooted in the concept of dialogism, which serves as the central focus of this study. Dialogism in Monteiro's work involves a complex interplay of textual voices and images, reflecting a myriad of dialogic threads. Each film is presented as a mosaic or palimpsest, where diverse sign systems and meaning-making practices intersect. Monteiro not only directed but also portrayed the protagonist, João de Deus, making his own body a privileged site of dialogic interaction. Monteiro’s films transcend the narrative to engage with both intra-textual and extra-textual dialogues across various cultural and social discourses. His approach utilizes dialogism not only as a narrative technique but also as a means of exploring broader cultural and social orientations, making each text a site of rich interdiscursive play. His films often blend sacred and profane, high and low culture, creating a dynamic cinematic language that challenges traditional semantic structures. This subversive element is a hallmark of Monteiro's style, where the juxtaposition of opposing verisimilitudes forms a continuous dialogue within his cinematic universe, offering a critique of societal norms through a relentless parody and irony.