With the publication of the novel Manhã Submersa, writer Vergílio Ferreira highlights a clear separation between his neo-realistic past and adherence to the characteristics of Malraux, Camus and Sartre's Existentialism. His writing, centered on the concept of 'problem romance', becomes even more complex, philosophical, and self-centered. The director Lauro António decided to adapt this novel but had the close complicity of the writer, which is revealed even in his participation in the film as an actor. From novel to film, the director's semiotic options are clear, while maintaining a link to the original text, separating themselves from literature and creating an independent aesthetic object.