Love for Sale
A woman who has recently returned to her hometown village in remote, northeastern Brazil after two years of living in São Paolo refuses to allow the actions of others to dictate her fate as she keeps her eyes towards new horizons in director Karim Aïnouz's follow-up to his dynamic feature debut Madame Satã. Hermilla (Hermilla Guedes) is a single mother living a marginal existence in modern day São Paolo. Upon returning to the village in which she was raised to await the arrival of her husband, Hermilla longs for the day that her family will become whole. Her hopes gradually fade, however, when it becomes painfully obvious to Hermilla that both she and her newborn son have been abandoned. Secrets are scarce in a village such as Hermilla's, and when word gets out about her dire situation the optimism of the once hopeful mother is quickly corroded by feelings of failure and humiliation. Though she briefly rekindles a relationship with former boyfriend João Miguel (João Miguel), Hermilla's painful realization that there is no returning to the past, coupled with an enlightening conversation with thoughtful prostitute Georgina (Georgina Castro), prods the troubled mother into devising a foolproof plan to finally break free of her troubled past. After adopting the name Suely as a means of both distancing herself from her family and preparing herself for the bold journey that lies ahead, the newly transformed Hermilla determines to raffle off a most unconventional prize to finance her flight into the future. more..
Director: Karim Ainouz
Starring: Hermila Guedes, Maria Menezes, Zezita Matos, Joao Miguel, Georgina Castro
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.
Hermila Guedes is hot as the damsel in distress. She carries the movie on her slender shoulders, providing erotic charm and believable acting.
A tough-minded story about how to define self-worth.
Not half as exotic or as compelling as Mr. Aïnouzâ??s 2002 film, â??Madame Satã,â? which examined the fantastic life of a transvestite prostitute and underground entertainer in 1930s and â??40s Rio de Janeiro. But it shares the earlier filmâ??s deep sympathy with sexual free spirits in a rigid macho society.
Film has major assets in Walter Carvalho's stunning landscapes and livewire young lead Hermila Guedes, but overall, it's too uninvolving.
Hermila Guedes
Bratislava International Film Festival (2006)
Best Actress (Melhor Atriz)
Cinema Brazil Grand Prize (2008)
Hermila Guedes
Havana Film Festival (2006)
Best Actress (Melhor Atriz)
Prêmio Contigo Cinema, Brazil (2007)
Best Actress
Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival (2006)
No lists