Amor Estranho Amor -love Strange Love- -1982- English ((link)) Jun 2026

Despite (or because of) its infamy, Amor Estranho Amor is a required reference in Brazilian film studies. It represents the absolute limit of the Boca do Lixo (“Mouth of Garbage”) cinema—a São Paulo film district known for low-budget porn, horror, and exploitation films in the 1970s and 80s. Yet, it is too artsy for pure exploitation and too explicit for the art house.

The film was only released in 1982 after severe cuts—approximately 15 minutes were removed, specifically details of the boy’s interactions with the women. Even in its truncated form, it received an “X” rating (prohibited for minors). For decades, the full version circulated only on bootleg VHS tapes and niche file-sharing networks. In the 2000s, a restored “director’s cut” was released on DVD in Brazil, restoring the controversial footage and reigniting the ethical debate. Amor Estranho Amor -Love Strange Love- -1982- English

Detractors argue that no amount of beautiful lighting can justify the camera’s lingering gaze on a child’s body. The nudity is not simulated; young Marcelo Ribeiro is shown in vulnerable positions. Unlike The Night Porter , where the trauma is explicit and painful, Love Strange Love occasionally seems to luxuriate in the very thing it claims to critique. Feminist critics have noted that the women in the house are not empowered; they are replicating their own abuse onto a child, and the film treats this as titillating rather than tragic. Despite (or because of) its infamy, Amor Estranho

The central tension arises from the boy’s awakening sexuality and his intense, oedipal fixation on his mother. The film does not shy away from the uncomfortable reality of a boy desiring his mother, framed through Khouri’s lens as a tragic inevitability rather than a moral failing. This culminates in the film’s most controversial sequence, where the boundaries between maternal comfort and sexual intimacy are irreparably blurred. The film was only released in 1982 after