This month is all about taking a break. My incredibly wise blog wife at A Voluptuous Mind suggested we take a step back from the Collab and focus on getting through the holidays. Considering I can’t even get stoked about Christmas horror this year, this is perhaps the single greatest decision of our partnership.
No surprises here–I have still been watching seasonally inappropriate films all the damn time. So I don’t get too rusty on my film blogging, I’ll still post a couple of reviews this month.
First up is a delightful film from Brazil featuring interracial lesbian romance, designer boots, and werewolves.
The Film:
Good Manners
The Premise:
Hired as a nanny for a wealthy pregnant woman, Clara discovers secrets about the baby as well as her employer’s wild nighttime activities.
The Ramble:
Though she started a nursing program, Clara was unable to complete her training due to money woes. Cash-strapped and behind on her rent, she is desperate to land a job working as nanny for Ana, a wealthy pregnant woman–so desperate that Clara fabricates previous experience and references. Luckily, starting that nursing program comes in handy as she helps Ana through painful stomach pangs.
Until the baby is born, Clara will take care of Ana, keeping her company as family and friends are nowhere to be found. What happened to leave Ana so isolated?
On her birthday, Ana lets loose and tells the truth about her pregnancy–though she was engaged, the baby’s father was not her fiancé. Scandalous! Not only is Ana’s baby the product of a one-night stand, he is the child of a werewolf father?! We’ve all been there, right?
Shortly after this revelation, Clara discovers Ana has a sleepwalking problem…and is also a werewolf. Having fallen in love with Ana, Clara helps her even after she witnesses her murder and eat a feral cat. She breaks the news to Ana gently since all of her werewolf behavior happens as if in a trance, and the two ladies experiment with old remedies.
With Ana’s due date rapidly approaching, she feels increasing amounts of pain. When the baby is born in pretty much the most horrific way possible, Clara is out tracking down pine nuts to satisfy Ana’s cravings. When she returns, Clara finds a horrific scene, complete with newborn werewolf baby Joel. Though she tries to ditch the baby by the side of the road, Clara ultimately can’t leave behind her only remaining connection to Ana.
Fastforward several years and Clara is now a nurse celebrating her adopted son’s birthday. Joel never craves sweets and isn’t allowed to eat meat, so he seems to subsist on bread alone. Not a shabby existence, IMHO.
During a full moon, Joel sleeps in the so-called “little room,” which is essentially a dungeon. Clara tucks him in at night and chains Joel to the wall so he can’t hurt himself or anyone else.
Their usual routine is disrupted when Joel begins to question things, chafing against the literal and figurative restraints Clara places on his life. Already angry that he’s not allowed to go to a dance, Joel is furious when he discovers Clara’s story about finding him abandoned as a baby is a lie. When he finds clues that he believes will lead him to his father, Joel and his bff decide to track him down at the mall. Things of course go horribly wrong when the two friends are locked in the mall overnight.
After tragedy strikes, how will Clara’s friends and neighbors react as they begin to connect the dots?
The Rating:
4/5 Pink Panther Heads
Let’s start with the criticism: this feels like 2 separate films as the tone in the Clara/Ana narrative is very different from the Clara/Joel part. I would have liked to see these stories woven together more effectively rather than watch 2 halves of the film that in some ways don’t feel related. Since this clocks in at 2 hours and 15 minutes, there’s a lot here that could have been condensed to help the story flow.
However, spoiler alert: overall this is a beautiful film that I really enjoyed. The lead, Isabél Zuaa, is incredible as Clara. Though her character is fairly quiet, she is extremely expressive in her loving but painful relationships with Ana and Joel.
The relationship between Clara and Ana, though unlikely, feels genuine. Their bittersweet story is emotional without being manipulative. It’s quite refreshing how little men matter here (we give zero fucks about Ana’s father, fiancé, or baby daddy); we are firmly planted in woman world.
Moral of the story: I. Am. Here. For. A. Werewolf. Film.
The Pink Panther Snipes Again 