Love Strange Love (1982)

 

(Original Title: Amor Estranho Amor) A guy roams around the mansion where he used to live, reminiscing about the days when it was a whorehouse and all the women were horny for him.  The only reason anyone cares about this movie is because Xuxa gets naked in it.

Hugo (Marcelo Ribeiro) is dropped of by his grandmother to go live with his mother.. who lives in a whorehouse run by Laura (Íris Bruzzi).

He's reunited with his mother, Anna (Vera Fischer).

The whores giggle at the new kid.  Vanessa Alves plays the whore on the right.

Hugo gets an unexpected visitor.  A prostitute just flashes him...

Olga (Matilde Mastrangi)

Hugo looks in on another prostitute's room

Vanessa Alves takes a bath.

But Hugo's heart belongs to the girl in the attic.

Tamara (Xuxa) is being prepped for presentation to a powerful politician.

Laura inspects the girl to see if she's ready. 

So, this is what all the fuss is about.  Xuxa goes on to become a big pop star and children's TV icon.  Although she was 18-19 when this film was made, Xuxa fought to get the film removed from shelves, taking the producers to court.  While the film was largely banned, the "Barbara Streisand Effect" took hold, and copies of VHS tapes already in circulation were copied and shared far and wide.

The main problem with this film is that, unless someone is getting naked, it's woefully boring.

Anna has sex with Dr. Osmar (Tarcísio Meira).  Osmar owns this estate, and uses the women for his own gain.  He plans to use Tamara to gain the cooperation of another powerful elite.

This is Hugo (Walter Forster) as an adult, walkign around the abandoned estate, strolling down memory lane and looking a bit like Jimmy Carter.

Olga just can't stop flashing young Hugo.

Matilde Mastrangi was a queen. Always delivering the nude scenes; although she says basically nothing in this film, Mastrangi was an excellent actress.

Before she can basically rape this kid, Olga hears someone coming.

It's just another whore, come to the attic to cry about her miserable life.

Olga hides by climbing up to the roof.

Matilde Mastrangi providing just epic levels of full frontal nudity in this film.

She gives Hugo one last look and leaves.

The big night arrives.  Tamara is unveiled in spectacular fashion dressed as a Teddy Bear.

But when they go back to the bedroom, Dr. Benicio (Mauro Mendonça) isn't so easily seduced.  He suspects he's being spied upon for blackmail.

When that doesn't pan out, Tamara pays a visit to Hugo, who seems to be getting all the action in this house.

Anna catches Tamara seducing her son and throws her out.

Then the unthinkable happens - what in the ever loving fuck?  Anna opens her nightgown and shows Hugo her boobs and bush.

The scene goes a little far, and this is really where the controversy should be - not the Xuxa bullshit.  I'm surprised Vera Fischer, already a respected TV star, would do this. But she won awards for this role, so what do I know.

The coup doesn't go as plan for the scheming politicians, and the estate falls into the possession of Dr. Itamar (Otávio Augusto).  A more boring resulotion to this film could not be imagined.

It ends with Hugo, now a successful man himself, purchasing his childhood home.  He smiles to himself, I guess thinking about all the trim he got when he was twelve. THE END

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Xuxa should have just let this one drift into the memory hole.  A boring and lame film, elevated by frequent nudity; Matilde Mastrangi in particular.  The ending is rather shocking, but not in a good way.  

★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆4/10