Available on DVD ! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat   CLICK HERE to buy from V.O.D. Portuguese language, English subtitles Always make sure of DVD-compatibility !!!

After the violent death of her mother (Nana Yazbek), teenaged Raquel (Valentina Herszage) and her estranged father Hermes (Emilio de Mello) move to the town he has grown up in and where dad is quick to open a grocery store. Looking for somewhere to belong to, Raquel makes friends with two girls from the local church, Laura (Eduarda Samara) and Ana Helena (Priscila Bittencourt), as of late she has found some solace in religion. For a time the three become inseparable, too - until at a meeting with several other girls from church, Raquel questions certain bible passages and suggests a re-write, as the bible has been rewritten again and again over the centuries. This shocks Ana Helena to such a degree that she throws Raquel out. Laura on the other hand sees a lot of sense in Raquel's idea, especially since all the passages she suggests are about violence against women (like when it's ok to stone a woman) and general female inferiority. Of course, Raquel hasn't told her or anyone that she has had the inspiration while hearing weird voices in a cave, but that doesn't mean her ideas aren't sound. Soon enough, Laura and some of the other girls of the church group decide to meet up in a dilapitated building outside of town to rework the good book - but that's something that's met with disdain in rural Brazil, where religion still has a strong grasp on the populace, so much so that an exorcism is suggested, and when Hermes outright rejects that, the locals turn on him, his grocery store, his home, but especially on Raquel - with painful consequences ...

A very compelling piece of social commentary on the often damaging influence of religion that refuses to go with the time, but packed into a blend of thriller and coming-of-age story, that leaves quite such an impact because for the most part it favours understatement over melodrama and - apart from the finale that's worthy of many a good horror movie - it avoids spectacle, instead keeps things real, also helped by an atmospheric yet subtle directorial effort. And an uniformly strong ensemble playing well fleshed-out characters of course also helps to make this one pretty awesome, very thoughtful and thought-provoking yet also quite entertaining film.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

Feeling lucky ? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results ?

The links below will take you just there !!!

Find Raquel 1:1 at the amazons ...   amazon.com   amazon.co.uk   amazon.de Looking for imports ? Find Raquel 1:1 here ...   eThaiCD.com Your shop for all things Thai Something naughty ? (Must be over 18 to go there !)   find Raquel 1:1 at adultvideouniverse.com

Thanks for watching !!!