An adult man (José Lewgoy) finds himself inexplicably drawn back to a lavish, decaying mansion. As he crosses the threshold, the film plunges into a prolonged flashback. It is 1937, during the Estado Novo dictatorship. He is a 12-year-old boy (Marcelo Ribeiro) sent from an orphanage to live in the opulent but emotionally sterile home of a powerful politician's mistress, Laura (Vera Fischer). There, in a gilded cage of bored, wealthy women, the boy becomes a silent observer—and eventual participant—in a web of adult desires, jealousy, and abuse.
Vera Fischer as Laura is a revelation. She moves between maternal warmth and predatory hunger with a fragility that is genuinely unnerving. Her performance refuses to let the audience settle on her as either a victim or a villain. She is simply a product of her own cage. The infamous scenes of sensuality are not played for titillation but for discomfort, emphasizing the power imbalance and the boy’s confused, non-verbal reactions. love strange love 1982
The film’s greatest strength is its oppressive, dreamlike atmosphere. Khouri shoots the mansion like a character itself—high ceilings, long shadows, suffocating heat. The cinematography lingers on details: a sweaty glass, a half-open robe, the reflection of a child’s scared face in a mirror. This is a world where time stands still, and morality is a forgotten guest. An adult man (José Lewgoy) finds himself inexplicably
Love Strange Love is not an easy film to watch, nor is it one you will quickly forget. Directed by Brazilian auteur Walter Hugo Khouri, this erotic drama sits squarely in the territory of "difficult cinema"—a fever dream of sexual awakening, political darkness, and psychological manipulation, all framed through the hazy, humid lens of repressed memory. He is a 12-year-old boy (Marcelo Ribeiro) sent
You are a serious student of erotic cinema, Brazilian history, or transgressive art, and you can separate the director's thematic intent from the uncomfortable on-screen reality. Skip it if: The depiction of childhood sexuality in any context is a hard boundary for you.
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5/5)