[Blood of my Blood] is the story of a family that lives in the slums of Lisbon. The daily lives of a son(or nephew) that works for a drug cartel, a daughter who is in love with a married man, a mother who is having an affair with a restaurant owner, and an aunt who goes back and forth between the beauty shop and the bar all contribute in drawing a dark silhouette of family history that is all intertwined. Canijo scrutinizes the question of kin once again, but this film probes deeper and wider. Leaving the part of the unintended truth for the audience to figure out is a directorial choice that sets this film apart from his previous films. The director’s streak of realism is still there in fierceness with which he pushes the issues to their extreme and placing the alienated at the center of it all while at the same time touching on the sensitive and shameful aspects of contemporary society. The long sequence at the dining table early on is a consummation of the director’s capabilities and does an excellent job of recreating the space within the screen by showing characters seated in a small space from various angles. (RHEE, Soue-won)