“Between reality and illusion, one woman must face the shadows waiting among the flowers.”
A Mulher no Jardim (2025) emerges as a haunting Portuguese psychological thriller that weaves secrets, obsession, and the seductive lure of forbidden places. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker João Ferreira, the film captivates with lush visuals and an undercurrent of danger lurking beneath every rustling leaf.
Set in the picturesque town of Sintra, the story follows Helena Almeida (Daniela Melchior), a young art conservator who inherits her grandmother’s sprawling estate, complete with an overgrown garden hiding centuries of secrets. While restoring the property, Helena becomes transfixed by glimpses of a mysterious woman drifting among the trees—a figure no one else seems to see.
Drawn deeper into the mystery, Helena discovers journals and old photographs suggesting the garden was once the site of occult gatherings and illicit love affairs. The woman’s spectral appearances grow bolder, pulling Helena into visions of past tragedies that mirror her own troubled relationships and hidden fears.
João Ferreira infuses A Mulher no Jardim with a dreamlike quality, balancing serene beauty and creeping dread. The film glides from sun-dappled roses to shadowy corridors, creating a world where reality and illusion bleed into one another. Cinematographer Sofia Gomes bathes scenes in rich greens and golds, making the garden both inviting and menacing.
Daniela Melchior delivers a magnetic performance, embodying Helena’s transformation from skeptical inheritor to a woman teetering on the edge of obsession and madness. Her vulnerability and quiet determination anchor the film’s swirling enigmas.
A Mulher no Jardim (2025) is more than a ghost story—it’s a meditation on inherited trauma, forbidden desires, and the secrets we bury under perfect blooms. It leaves viewers questioning: is the woman in the garden a ghost, a memory, or the darkest part of Helena’s own mind?
