Are There Film Adaptations Of The Book Of Disquiet Planned?

I get a little giddy whenever someone asks about film versions of 'Book of Disquiet' because it’s one of those books that feels like cinema in slow motion already — all mood, atmosphere, and interior monologue. The short take is: filmmakers keep circling it, and there have certainly been cinematic and multimedia pieces inspired by Fernando Pessoa’s fragmented notebook, but there hasn’t been a single, definitive, big-budget mainstream feature that captures the book lockstep as a conventional narrative film. That’s not a failure so much as a reflection of the book’s nature: it’s a collage of impressions, an interior life more than a plot, and that scares and entices directors in equal measure.

As someone who spends a lot of time at indie film nights and book readings, I’ve seen plenty of creative responses — short films, visual essays, audio-visual installations at festivals, stage pieces that blend spoken text with projection, and even experimental shorts that use Lisbon’s streets as a character. Portuguese cinema and the Portuguese art scene have a long, affectionate relationship with Pessoa; his presence is everywhere in Lisbon’s cultural calendar, and small projects and documentaries mine his work often. From what I’ve followed up to mid-2024, the landscape is more of a mosaic of tributes and adaptations in miniature than one sweeping commercial epic. There have been announcements and occasional projects in development over the years, but the reality is that adapting 'Book of Disquiet' as a straightforward film risks flattening the book’s internal multiplicity into a single voice — and most filmmakers who love it seem committed to honoring that inner plurality in less conventional formats.

If I had to sketch how a faithful adaptation might work, I’d pitch a hybrid: part essay film, part narrated montage, maybe serialised into a limited series where each episode is its own mood chamber. Imagine an actor reading fragments as voice-over over slow, lovingly composed shots of Lisbon rain, archives, empty cafés, and found footage, intercut with first-person sequences that feel dreamlike and dislocated. Animation or rotoscoping would also be gorgeous — it can render interior thoughts without forcing them into linear time. Practical note for fellow enthusiasts: if you want to see cinematic takes now, look for festival programs and curated nights that pair readings with short films, or seek out audio performances and small indie pieces online. They won’t replace a full feature, but they often feel truer to the book’s spirit.

I’d love to see a bold, patient director take a stab at this someday — someone willing to embrace ambiguity and resist tidy conclusions. Until then I keep an eye on film festival lineups and Lisbon cultural listings, because every year something small pops up that feels like a fragment of Pessoa brought to light. If you’re into this too, grab a copy of 'Book of Disquiet', a raincoat, and a late-night tram ride through a city that already reads like prose; that feels like the closest cinematic adaptation I’ve found in real life.