Kiss and Be Friends
Director(s): Ana Baldini, Roly Witherow
Film description: In modern-day Lisbon, two art students drift through a weekend of escapism and late-capitalist burnout. Sofia and Amandine’s toxic friendship is put to the test when Amandine crosses paths with Guilherme, a pretentious artist, at an independent exhibition. Kiss and Be Friends is an acerbic comedy exploring intimacy, identity, and a generation driven by irony, anxiety, and Instagram.
Preceded by “My Life, My Love, My Lady”
ERIC SAYS Will another film this year charm you as much as Ana Baldini and Roly Witherow’s Kiss and Be Friends, an aesthetically refined and often hilarious portrait of a young female friendship nearing its expiration date? Set in present-day Lisbon (beautifully shot in a manner that’ll make you want to hop on a plane there tomorrow), two visiting friends explore the city’s underground art scene—one that feels not unlike the DIY gallery and visual-art culture of Baltimore today. But as they converse and flirt with strangers, their paths start to separate—delineating a chasm between them that clearly didn’t come about overnight.
Baldini and Witherow’s film pulses with a fresh and vibrant perspective that feels very right now—while also bringing to mind beloved precedents like Whit Stillman’s Barcelona, Amalia Ulman’s El Planeta, and the summer-set cinema of Éric Rohmer. And speaking of planes: this directing duo is flying our way to be with us for our screening—probably the longest travel for any filmmakers this edition—so be certain to come out and give them and their delightful film a warm Bmore welcome!
Writer(s): Roly Witherow
Producer(s): Roly Witherow, Ana Baldini
Editor(s): Roly Witherow, Ana Baldini
Country of origin: Portugal
Principal cast: Marine Arradon, Anu Loureiro, Gustavo Rebelo, Lucas Melo, Marianne da Conceição
Language: English, Portuguese, French
Year: 2026
Duration: 86 min
Premiere status: North American Premiere
