Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
Director
Karim Aïnouz
Cast
Hermila Guedes,
João Miguel,
Maria Menezes,
Zezita Matos,
Claudio Jaborandy
Genre
Drama
In northern Brazil, Hermila patiently waits for her husband, only to discover he has abandoned her. Sexy, restless, and resolute, she raffles off "a night in paradise" with herself. This beautifully-shot portrait doesn't shy away from the burdens of a young scarred woman, but it also celebrates her courage to live according to her own rules.
TV Guide Magazine by Ken Fox
The theme song, a wonderful Portuguese version of Bread's soft-rock classic "Everything I Own," is by Dinah, a long-forgotten Brazilian singing sensation of the 1970s who deserves to be better remembered.
New York Post by V.A. Musetto
Hermila Guedes is hot as the damsel in distress. She carries the movie on her slender shoulders, providing erotic charm and believable acting.
The A.V. Club by Noel Murray
A tough-minded story about how to define self-worth.
The New York Times by Stephen Holden
Not half as exotic or as compelling as Mr. Aïnouz’s 2002 film, “Madame Satã,” which examined the fantastic life of a transvestite prostitute and underground entertainer in 1930s and ’40s Rio de Janeiro. But it shares the earlier film’s deep sympathy with sexual free spirits in a rigid macho society.
Village Voice
Once you know the title, you pretty much get the gist. Just as Hermila ought to escape her hometown, Guedes deserves to flee to a richer film.
Variety by Deborah Young
Film has major assets in Walter Carvalho's stunning landscapes and livewire young lead Hermila Guedes, but overall, it's too uninvolving.
Village Voice by Aaron Hillis
Once you know the title, you pretty much get the gist. Just as Hermila ought to escape her hometown, Guedes deserves to flee to a richer film.
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