IN OR OUT, ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THIS

IN OR OUT, ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THIS WAS CREATED DURING MY RETURN TO LISBON, THIS TIME UNDER VERY DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES.

A YEAR EARLIER, LISBON HAD BEEN A PLACE OF FREEDOM, EXPLORATION AND MOVEMENT. DAYS FELT OPEN-ENDED. WEEKENDS BECAME ADVENTURES. THE CITY, THE COASTLINE AND THE PEOPLE AROUND US CREATED A RHYTHM THAT FELT NATURAL AND ALIVE.

WHEN WE CAME BACK, EVERYTHING LOOKED FAMILIAR, BUT LIFE HAD CHANGED.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, BOTH MY FRIEND AND I WERE WORKING FULL-TIME. OFFICE HOURS REPLACED OPEN SCHEDULES, DAYLIGHT BECAME SCARCE AND MANY OF THE THINGS WE LOVED DOING SUDDENLY HAD TO FIT AROUND ROUTINE RATHER THAN DEFINE IT.

THE FILM DOCUMENTS THAT TRANSITION.

BETWEEN OFFICE HOURS AND WEEKENDS AWAY. BETWEEN ROUTINE AND SPONTANEITY. BETWEEN THE LIFE WE WERE LIVING AND THE LIFE WE IMAGINED FOR OURSELVES.

THROUGHOUT THE FILM, DOUBLE EXPOSURES APPEAR REPEATEDLY. MORE THAN A VISUAL EFFECT, THEY BECAME A WAY OF EXPRESSING THE UNCERTAINTY OF THAT PERIOD. DIFFERENT SCENES OVERLAP, BLEND TOGETHER AND COMPETE FOR ATTENTION, REFLECTING THE FEELING OF STANDING BETWEEN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS WITHOUT FULLY KNOWING WHICH ONE TO FOLLOW.

THE TITLE CARRIES THE SAME IDEA.

"IN OR OUT" REFERS TO THE CONSTANT MOVEMENT BETWEEN DIFFERENT STATES: INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE, INSIDE AND OUTSIDE ROUTINE, INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE VERSION OF LIFE WE WANTED TO BUILD.

"ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THIS" POINTS TO WHAT REMAINED CONSTANT THROUGHOUT THAT PERIOD. WHETHER TRAVELLING, SURFING, SLEEPING IN HAMMOCKS OR EXPLORING THE PORTUGUESE COASTLINE, WE WERE ALWAYS SEARCHING FOR THE SAME FEELING.

NOT FREEDOM FROM RESPONSIBILITY.

BUT FREEDOM WITHIN LIFE ITSELF.

THE ABILITY TO CREATE A LIFE THAT LEAVES ROOM FOR THE THINGS THAT MAKE IT MEANINGFUL.

LOOKING BACK, THE FILM BECAME LESS ABOUT LISBON AND MORE ABOUT A QUESTION THAT MANY PEOPLE FACE AT SOME POINT:

HOW DO WE BUILD A FUTURE WITHOUT LOSING THE PARTS OF OURSELVES THAT MADE US DREAM ABOUT IT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

THE FILM DOESN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION.

IT SIMPLY CAPTURES A MOMENT WHEN WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT.