In “Medusa,” a spooky tale of pop music about female emancipation, a group of Brazilian church-going gals play Christian Stepford’s wife by day and roam the streets in white masks by night, playing with vagabonds. It terrorizes perceived women into repentance.
Writer-director Anita Rocha da Silveira deploys blood-splattered fluorescent backgrounds and techno-influenced bodily grotesques in the same way she did in recent feminist horror films such as Titan, creating a staged visual experience. adopts an approach.
But these extremes also feel appropriate given the South American country’s growing fanatical movement against LGBTQ people and sex-positive culture.US audiences may be familiar with this, but in Brazil homophobic hate crime is one of the tallest in the world. that is actually evangelical gang Trying to violently cleanse the community.
Rocha da Silveira makes a strong case for the macabre nature of indoctrination being played out in modern times. Mari (Mari Oliveira) and her girlfriend play catchy worship songs for the congregation, and Queen Bee girlfriend Michele (Lara Tremouroux) creates her beauty tutorials on YouTube to show it off. Proving. How to take a christian friendly selfie.
Mari awakens after one of the gang’s Midnight Crusades leaves her with a scar on her face. Fired from her cosmetic surgery job and perpetual unmarried status, she begins working at a clinic for those in a coma. She is a religious warrior.
Eventually, with the help of a charming colleague, Mari begins to notice the little things in her ways.
“Medusa” is shockingly dressed, but it’s also a straight-up character study, tackling issues like the scourge of Western beauty standards and the difficulty of leaving an abusive relationship prematurely. Most importantly, Mari’s evolution feels real and her victories are truly inspiring. It is here that “Medusa” presents a keen idea. The righteous mob is terrifying, but leaves it just as nerve-wracking.
Medusa
Unrated. Running time: 1 hour 27 minutes. at the theater.