A long wait for almost nothing. I wonder if all those legal actions Xuxa took over the prohibition of this film's release after she became a popstar
on TV with her programs was really because of legal issues concerning distribution or because she was embarassed by how bad this thing was, a film she
made before her stardom. Most of us know it's all about the controversy revolving a scene where she performs sexual acts with a 12-year-old boy (Marcelo Ribeiro)
Never aired on regular TV and cable, only available in rare VHS copies and internet torrents, Canal Brasil made an exclusive release
of it in 2021 and I finally got my chance to watch it. Final analysis is that here's a bad movie, incoherent, excessive and that doesn't have a message to say.
It's just an excuse for being a softcore with many nudity and sexual moment that leads to nowhere, and director/writer Walter Hugo Khouri again makes a
movie about pre-teen horny yet shy boys having their encounter with older women. He dealt better with those themes in "Paixão Perdida" and "As Feras" (of which
bears a strong similarity of an old man remembering his younger days and experiences). I was embarassed, tired and aching watching this.
The controversies aside - which makes this film watchable and interesting for male audiences or females who have a thing for preying on young boys,
"Amor Estranho Amor" ("Love Strange Love") was a painful experience when it comes to present its second backstory concerning dull political aspects on the
powerful men who attends the mansion brothel where the little boy spends his time after being abandoned by his grandmother who leaves him there to live
with his prostitute mother (Vera Fischer). She's the apple of the eyes of the rich character played by Tarcísio Meira, who is destined to buy her a house, so
she can leave the mansion and live with her son in some peace and quiet instead of having lots of beautiful women lusting on her child. But it all fails and
the slightly innocent boy becomes the center of attention to all of the prostitues, specially from the young Tamara (Xuxa), of whom he dreams about just like
he dreams about his mother - as a critic pointed out it feels like "Murmur of the Heart". To me, a more perverted and almost explicit version of that movie.
As I said, the whole political thing is distracting, it slows the movie down and not to mention it's a script mistake since the film is told from the boy's point
of view as an old man (Walter Forster), and those moments where he's not present shouldn't be part of the story unless the story was being written withuot the old man.
How on earth he could remember all that? The only thing that matters is the relations and fantasies he has with the women, or when he's spying on Tamara and Dr. Bráulio (Mauro Mendonça) on bed, an important political ally of Tarcísio's character. When dealing with memories it's important to us that we get an enlightment from
the old character on why he's remembering this and the importance those moments had on his life later on. This film lacks for not providing that.
What's left in this pointless story are the scenes of sexual nature whether being the ones from the boy (too awkward to watch and for most of the time I kept
thinking how if the genders were traded how would that be with the same treatment of the one depicted here. Far from being an "Lolita" and more fire on the
bonfire of controversies) and the ones from the brothel clients, or the mother with her regular costumer. Some scenes are brilliantly filmed and staged; others are
just exploitative and gratuitous.
It was a bizarre film experience that only served one purpose and it was not about having fantasies or memories of younger days; it served to put me to
sleep in the final five minutes of it and to not providing enough distraction or some food for thought with such an unpleasant and dull story. Not recommended, unless if
you are curious in seeing this rarity starring Xuxa hitting on the young boy (the confrontation scene where she's slapped by the mom is priceless though. LOL). 4/10.
