Born in Portugal, a country her father told her was not good for women, Rego used her powerful images as a weapon against the dictatorship before settling in London, where she continued to address issues relating to the status of women, such as the right to abortion. Above all, her paintings provide a cryptic glimpse into an intimate world of personal tragedy, perverse fantasies and embarrassing truths.

Willing combines a large archive of home movies and family photographs with interviews spanning 60 years of life and images of Rego at work in her studio. The result is a powerful personal portrait of the life and work of an artist whose legacy will stand the test of time, visually illustrated in pastel, charcoal and oil paint.