Natalia works in a bank where clients deposit their own hearts, either with fear of them being stolen or because they will fatally and definitely will not trust them to anyone else. The days come and go, busy and tiring, but unexpectedly Natalia receives a request for help: a heart has been stolen. “Entre Sombras”, animated frame-by-frame in pixilation (a stop motion technique with actors and objects) where each frame is thoroughly laboured, is a sophisticated pearl of invention, inhabited by shadows, angles and cinematographic flourishes inspired by the aesthetics of the 40s, Art Deco and Surrealism. Homage to the Film Noir genre of intricate and capricious plot, amid the traditional trench-coat and hat detective, the languid woman in a well-cut dress and classy make-up, the smoky bar and the seductive voice-off (played by Margarida Vila Nova), “Entre Sombras” is the second film by the duo of directors Alice Eça Guimarães and Mónica Santos, and their second presence at Curtas Vila do Conde, where they debuted with the film hit “Amélia e Duarte”, winner of the Canal + Acquisition Prize and Audience Award, in 2015. (SR)