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Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories (2017) movie poster

Timeline

Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 92 mins · Portuguese
Directed by
Nick Willing
Starring
Paula Rego

This documentary offers a revealing look into the life and career of the acclaimed Portuguese-British painter Paula Rego. Directed by her son, filmmaker Nick Willing, the film explores Rego’s artistic journey and personal struggles. Known for her privacy, the artist shares intimate details and surprising stories about her life, including her experiences battling fascism, navigating a misogynistic art world, and confronting depression, offering a unique portrait of a remarkable artist.

Documentary Cast, crew & box office
On this page (4)
  1. 1 Events in order (12)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Every angle

12 events in order · contains spoilers

Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories (2017) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Childhood in Portugal and early imagination

    Paula Rego grows up in a stifling, male-dominated Portugal where women were encouraged to do absolutely nothing. She begins drawing at the age of four and uses her pictures to act out fantasies she cannot enact in real life. Her father nurtures her talent by introducing her to great storytellers such as Dante, Shakespeare, Verdi, and Disney, laying the groundwork for her imaginative approach to art.

    When
    childhood
    Where
    Portugal

  2. London and Slade School: rebellion begins

    As a teenager in London, Rego is a foreigner in a male-dominated, competitive art world. She dislikes the Slade School's abstract, academic method and hides at the back of class to paint her own pictures. It is there that she meets Victor Willing, a rising painter who would become central to her life.

    When
    teen years
    Where
    London, UK

  3. First pregnancies and back-street abortion

    Rego becomes pregnant several times while still young and fears Victor would abandon her, forcing her to consider a life of disgrace back in Portugal. She seeks a back-street abortion, an experience that profoundly shapes her psyche. The episode informs recurring themes of fear, survival, and female agency in her later work.

    When
    late teens/early 20s
    Where
    London

  4. Abortion and political awakening in Portugal (1998 referendum)

    In the 1990s, Rego's series of back-street abortion pictures emerges in the context of Portugal's abortion debate. She is outraged by the hypocrisy of women and the social treatment of abortion, compelled to depict these experiences in powerful, unsettling imagery. The works help galvanize public sentiment before Portugal's second referendum on abortion.

    When
    1990s
    Where
    Portugal

  5. Return to Portugal; marriage to Willing and family

    After becoming pregnant again at 19, Rego decides to keep the baby despite Victor's plan to return to his wife. They move to Portugal, where Willing is invited to live in Paula's grandparents' house in Ericeira. The couple marries and have two more children, and Rego's artistic vitality blossoms during this period.

    When
    1950s
    Where
    Ericeira, Portugal

  6. Willing's infidelity and Paula's response

    Willing's continued relationships with other women fill Rego with dread, prompting her to respond in kind. The emotional strain threads through her art, fueling recurring concerns of fear, vulnerability and desire. This turbulent dynamic remains a through-line in her work for years.

    When
    1950s–60s
    Where
    Portugal

  7. Depression and the 1966 bankruptcy

    Rego recalls lifelong depression, a constant undercurrent in her life. After her father dies in 1966, Willing takes over the electronics factory, mortgaging the family home to invest. The business collapses in a brutal bankruptcy, leaving the family devastated and forced to move to London penniless.

    When
    1966–late 1960s
    Where
    Portugal and London

  8. London years, depression deepens, and artistic persistence

    Settling in London, Rego battles mounting depression while Victor's illness, multiple sclerosis, worsens their circumstances. She keeps painting every day, even as the market ignores her, demonstrating discipline and stubborn resilience. The difficult years set the stage for a dramatic artistic revival.

    When
    late 1960s–1970s
    Where
    London, UK

  9. 1980 breakthrough: turning life into art

    Around 1980, Rego's work undergoes a personal revolution, turning intimate experiences with Victor, family, and lovers into bold, powerful images. Critics and dealers begin to take notice, revitalizing her career. This period marks a turning point that redefines her place in contemporary art.

    When
    1980–1986
    Where
    London

  10. Marlborough Fine Art and the Serpentine retrospective

    In 1986 Rego signs with Marlborough Fine Art, boosting her international profile. Willing dies in 1988, and shortly after she achieves a major retrospective at London's Serpentine Gallery, cementing her status as a leading female artist. The combination of personal loss and public recognition deepens the emotional charge of her work.

    When
    1986–1988
    Where
    London

  11. The Dog Woman series and The Crime of Father Amaro

    Later works include the Dog Woman series and revisiting The Crime of Father Amaro, as Rego continues to process her past and its impact on her art. Feminist writers such as Germaine Greer and Marina Warner hail her as a pioneer who reshaped the role of women artists. The films' retrospective framing underscores her enduring influence.

    When
    late 1980s–1990s
    Where
    London

  12. Closing revelation: what makes her most proud

    In the film, Nick Willing asks what Rego is most proud of after a lifetime of achievement, a question that becomes the story's emotional pivot. Her answer offers a personal, revealing closure to this intimate portrait. The movie itself stands as a testament to her legacy and the power of art to illuminate a life.

    When
    end of life / film's present
    Where
    Film's present

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 13:05

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Timeline questions answered

Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories (2017): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why did Paula Rego have a back-street abortion?

As a teenager in London, Rego became pregnant several times while in a relationship with Victor Willing. She feared that if she had the baby, Victor would abandon her, forcing her to return to Portugal in disgrace. The back-street abortion was a desperate choice to avoid a life she saw as fundamentally trapped and shameful.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Rego describes growing up in Portugal where women were discouraged from having ambitions or independence.

  • Paula Rego
  • abortion
  • Victor Willing
  • London
  • teenage pregnancy
Q2

How did Paula Rego's abortion experience influence her art?

The traumatic experience of the back-street abortion resurfaced decades later in her powerful abortion series. These works depicted the fear, pain, and isolation of that experience with raw honesty, transforming a private trauma into public art that resonated with many women.

Foreshadowing: The documentary shows how Rego consistently drew from real memories and fears in her work.

  • abortion art
  • Paula Rego artwork
  • trauma
  • memory
Q3

Why did Paula Rego decide to keep her second pregnancy?

Despite Victor planning to return to his wife and the risk of social ostracism in 1950s Portugal, Rego chose to keep the baby. This decision marked a turning point where she embraced motherhood rather than fear it, ultimately leading to her marriage to Victor and the start of her family in Ericeira.

Foreshadowing: The documentary establishes that Rego had deep fears about losing her ambitions to motherhood.

  • pregnancy
  • Victor Willing
  • Ericeira
  • family
Q4

What caused Paula Rego's artistic breakthrough in 1980?

Around 1980, Rego made a deliberate decision to weave her private life, her relationships, fears, and fantasies, directly into her imagery. This shift from abstract work to deeply personal, narrative paintings revitalized her practice and attracted critical attention, marking a dramatic transformation in her career.

Foreshadowing: Earlier sections show her struggling in the 1960s-70s with depression and market neglect.

  • 1980
  • artistic breakthrough
  • personal art
  • narrative painting
Q5

How did Victor Willing's multiple sclerosis affect Paula Rego's life?

Victor Willing was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which progressively worsened the family's circumstances. The illness added emotional and financial strain to their lives, particularly as Rego already battled depression and the aftermath of bankruptcy, yet she continued painting daily throughout these difficulties.

Foreshadowing: The documentary establishes Victor as a central but complicated figure throughout their relationship.

  • Victor Willing
  • multiple sclerosis
  • illness
  • family
Q6

What happened in the 1966 bankruptcy that affected Paula Rego?

After Rego's father died in 1966, Victor Willing took over the family electronics business and mortgaged their home to invest. The business collapsed in a brutal bankruptcy, leaving the family devastated and penniless, which forced their move to London under extreme financial pressure.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes the family's precarious financial situation earlier through Victor's business dealings.

  • bankruptcy
  • Victor Willing
  • finance
  • London move
Q7

How did Paula Rego's art influence Portugal's abortion referendum?

Rego's powerful back-street abortion paintings emerged during Portugal's 1998 abortion referendum. Her works depicted the trauma and hypocrisy surrounding abortion, helping to galvanize public sentiment and contributing to the eventual change in Portuguese law.

Foreshadowing: The documentary connects her personal trauma to her artistic response decades later.

  • Portugal
  • abortion referendum
  • 1998
  • political art
Q8

What is the Dog Woman series about?

The Dog Woman series depicts Rego's fantastical imagery of women in vulnerable, animalistic poses. These works explore themes of female desire, power, and vulnerability, drawing from her own experiences and fantasies to challenge traditional representations of women in art.

Foreshadowing: The documentary emphasizes how Rego used her art to process personal experiences and emotions.

  • Dog Woman
  • feminist art
  • female empowerment
Q9

What does Paula Rego say she is most proud of in the film?

In the closing moments of the documentary, Nick Willing asks his mother what she is most proud of after her lifetime of achievement. Her answer provides a personal, moving conclusion that reveals what truly matters to her beyond her public success, serving as the film's emotional climax.

Foreshadowing: The entire film builds toward this intimate mother-son conversation as a source of revelation.

  • Nick Willing
  • pride
  • legacy
  • closing scene
Q10

What happened during Paula Rego's depression in 2006-2007?

Rego experienced a painful period of depression in 2006-07 during which she attempted to "draw her way out." She created twelve large pastels that captured the emotional storms she endured. The documentary treats this as a vulnerable yet essential window into understanding her work.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes depression as a constant undercurrent throughout her life.

  • depression
  • 2006
  • pastels
  • mental health

Movie threads

More Movies Like Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Intimate Portraits of Creative Struggle like Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories

Revealing documentaries that explore the personal battles behind artistic genius. If you liked the candid exploration of an artist's life in Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories, you'll find similar documentaries here. These films profile creators, revealing the personal hardships and emotional depths that shape their work, offering movies like Paula Rego that balance artistic triumph with human vulnerability.

  • intimate
  • revelatory
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  • somber
  • Tone: melancholic, revelatory, introspective
  • Pacing: steady, reflective
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories typically follow a biographical or documentary structure, tracing an individual's creative journey by intertwining their artistic output with their personal trials. The narrative builds an understanding of how pain, resilience, and a unique perspective converge to produce remarkable art, often culminating in a legacy of profound influence.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped together because they share a deeply intimate, revelatory mood. They combine a melancholic tone with a steady pacing to explore the connection between personal adversity and creative expression, providing a thoughtful and emotionally resonant look at the price and reward of genius.

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Somber Journeys with Hopeful Resolutions like Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories

Stories that navigate heavy themes but ultimately find a sense of light and legacy. Movies like Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories that start in a place of struggle but end on a note of hope. If you appreciated how it balanced heavy themes with a positive legacy, you'll find similar stories here—films with melancholic beginnings, medium emotional weight, and ultimately happy or hopeful endings.

  • somber
  • hopeful
  • melancholic
  • reflective
  • cathartic
  • resilient
  • Tone: melancholic, somber, hopeful
  • Pacing: steady, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves characters confronting significant personal or external adversities. The journey is often introspective and challenging, depicting the weight of the struggle. However, the arc bends toward resilience, recovery, or the establishment of a positive legacy, providing a cathartic and uplifting conclusion without dismissing the pain that preceded it.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by a specific emotional mix: a foundation of somber, reflective moods built from difficult themes, combined with a pacing that allows for thoughtful processing, and crucially, an ending that provides a clear sense of hope or fulfillment. This creates a uniquely bittersweet yet satisfying experience.

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Every angle

Paula Rego: Secrets & Stories (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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