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Brazil, Uruguay, Denmark · 2019
1h 40m
Director Gabriel Mascaro
Starring Dira Paes, Júlio Machado, Emílio de Mello, Teca Pereira
Genre Drama, Science Fiction
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Joana, a registry office clerk and faithful Christian, tasks herself with mending couples instead of processing divorces. She does this by referring them to a cult of which her and her husband Danilo are members. But as her own marriage nears its breaking point, Joana begins to wonder if God is ignoring her devotion.
Film Threat by Anthony Ray Bench
Divine Love is beautifully shot and wonderfully acted, but for those who are on the religious persuasion it may be too blasphemous, and for those who do not subscribe to a defined religion, it may be too dogmatic and weird.
The Hollywood Reporter by Boyd van Hoeij
Gorgeously shot and produced, impressively acted and with a lot of fascinating things on its mind, this is yet further proof that the 35-year-old Mascaro is one of Brazil’s most audacious and gifted filmmakers of his generation.
Los Angeles Times by Carlos Aguilar
With sci-fi touches and sanctimonious eroticism, the incisive satire intently takes on the influence of evangelical Christianity on the state — namely the far-right movement that elected populist Jair Bolsonaro.
No matter how much Mascaro reaches into the future, Divine Love retains an immediacy steeped in questions about the nature of faith, physical attraction, and the factors that can transform the personal into the political.
The new age of Brazilian protest cinema begins here, and “Divine Love” has kicked it off in dancing shoes.
Through his exquisite vision, Mascaro tells a curious tale of spiritual commitment, marital strife, and the blurred separation of church and state, leading to an ultimately surprising, powerful conclusion.
The Playlist by Kevin Jagernauth
The drama engages with the ever-present theological question of how the faithful endure the silence of God during times of great suffering. But it also ponders the extremes the devout will go not only to receive an answer from on high, but proselytize in His name.
Mascaro’s striking aesthetics give the film a texture and atmosphere that aligns the audience firmly with its protagonist; she’s seeking transcendence, and the movie she’s in approximates it one lustrous frame at a time.
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