Amor Estranho Amor -love Strange Love- -1982- English Dubbed Awesome Movie · High-Quality & High-Quality

In the vast, often unsettling landscape of Brazilian cinema, few films evoke as much visceral discomfort and polarizing debate as Walter Hugo Khouri’s Amor Estranho Amor (released in English as Love Strange Love). Dubbed by some as an art-house exploration of sexual awakening and by others as an exploitative melodrama, the 1982 film occupies a bizarre limbo: it is simultaneously a period piece about political prostitution, a coming-of-age thriller, and a relic of Brazil’s military dictatorship. For English-speaking audiences, the “English Dubbed Awesome Movie” label—often found on cult home-video releases—adds another layer of surreal fascination. To watch Love Strange Love is to confront not just a narrative, but a mirror reflecting uncomfortable truths about power, memory, and the commodification of innocence.

Set against the opulent backdrop of a luxurious brothel on the eve of the 1930s revolution, the film unfolds through the eyes of 12-year-old Hugo (Marcelo Ribeiro), who is sent to live with his mysterious mother, Anna (Vera Fischer), in a mansion that doubles as a high-end bordello. What follows is a fever-dream sequence of voyeurism, languid afternoons, and predatory affection. The title itself—“Strange Love”—is deliberately ironic. There is nothing loving about the world Khouri constructs; instead, the film dissects how affection becomes transactional when power is absolute. Hugo is not a protagonist but a pawn, a silent observer whose virginity becomes the ultimate prize for the establishment’s wealthy clients.

The film’s primary strength, and the source of its enduring controversy, is its unflinching visual language. Khouri, a master of existentialist cinema, uses long takes, lush close-ups, and a hauntingly minimalistic score to trap the viewer inside the brothel’s suffocating walls. The English-dubbed version, often dismissed by purists, inadvertently enhances this surreal quality. The mismatched lip movements and theatrical voice-over performances create a Brechtian alienation effect, reminding audiences that they are watching a constructed nightmare. In this dubbed format, Love Strange Love transcends straightforward exploitation and enters the realm of camp—yet it remains deadly serious. The dissonance between the dubbing’s melodrama and the raw, predatory imagery forces viewers to engage critically rather than passively consume.

However, to discuss Amor Estranho Amor honestly, one must address the elephant in the room: the sexualization of a child actor. Even within the context of 1982—a time when Brazil was under a censorship-heavy military regime that paradoxically allowed such films to pass as “artistic”—the film’s lingering gaze on Hugo’s body and his gradual seduction is deeply troubling. Modern audiences will recoil, and rightly so. The “awesome” label some cult fans attach to the movie is less an endorsement of its ethics and more a recognition of its audacity. The film dares to ask a horrifying question: What happens when the institutions meant to protect (family, government, economy) are merely different faces of the same predatory system? The brothel in the film is a metaphor for the Estado Novo (New State) dictatorship—a gilded cage where everyone is either a client or a commodity.

The English-dubbed version, now a collector’s item, adds a final twist to the film’s legacy. For international viewers, the awkward synchronization and translated dialogue strip away some of the original Portuguese’s poetic ambiguity, replacing it with a blunt, almost grindhouse directness. This transformation has allowed Love Strange Love to be rediscovered not as high art, but as a fascinating historical document: a film that captures the anxiety of late 20th-century Brazil, the lingering shadows of its dictatorial past, and the universal horror of lost childhood. It is “awesome” in the original sense of the word—inspiring awe, dread, and deep unease.

In conclusion, Amor Estranho Amor / Love Strange Love is not a film to be enjoyed but to be endured and examined. It is a troubling masterpiece of atmosphere and a testament to how cinema can make beauty repulsive and horror hypnotic. The English-dubbed version, with all its technical flaws, serves as an accidental key to understanding the film’s central theme: the failure of language to capture trauma. Whether one calls it strange, terrible, or awesome, the film refuses to be forgotten. And perhaps that is its most powerful legacy—a reminder that the most dangerous love is the one that never calls itself by its true name.

Amor Estranho Amor (released in English as Love Strange Love) is a 1982 Brazilian erotic crime drama directed by Walter Hugo Khouri. While originally filmed in Portuguese, English-dubbed versions were released on VHS and later on DVD in the United States, often marketed as an "uncut" or "unrated" version. Movie Overview

Plot: The story follows an adult politician who reminisces about a transformative 48-hour period in 1937 when he was a 12-year-old boy. Sent to live with his mother in an upscale brothel, he experiences his sexual awakening through his interactions with the resident prostitutes.

Major Stars: The film features famous Brazilian actors including Vera Fischer, Tarcísio Meira, and Xuxa Meneghel. Controversy and Availability

The film is highly controversial due to explicit scenes involving the then-young protagonist and adult women, particularly the sequence featuring Xuxa.

Legal Battles: For years, Brazilian TV host Xuxa Meneghel fought legally to prevent the film's distribution in Brazil to protect her image as a children's entertainer.

English Version: Despite the restrictions in Brazil, the film was released on DVD in the United States around 2005. English-dubbed versions are frequently noted for their poor quality, described by some reviewers as "atrocious".

Where to Find: You can still find the film through specialty retailers like J4HI or listed on IMDb for historical details. In the vast, often unsettling landscape of Brazilian

Amor Estranho Amor (1982), known in English as Love Strange Love, is a Brazilian drama written and directed by Walter Hugo Khouri. It is a highly controversial "coming-of-age" story set against the backdrop of political turmoil in 1937 Brazil. Plot and Themes

The story is framed as a memory of an older man who returns to a mansion he lived in 45 years earlier as a twelve-year-old boy named Hugo.

Discovery of Sexuality: The film follows Hugo as he is sent to live with his mother, Anna (Vera Fischer), in a luxurious brothel frequented by powerful politicians.

Corruption and Innocence: While political radicals plan to overthrow the government, Hugo is surrounded by enticing women who find his naivete charming.

Metaphorical Setting: Critics note that the film uses the opulent setting and the "Teutonic beauty" of the women as a metaphor for fascism and corruption looming over the era. Controversies The film remains notorious for several reasons:

Marcelo Ribeiro and Xuxa: It features sexualized scenes involving Marcelo Ribeiro, who was 11 years old at the time of filming.

Xuxa Meneghel's Legal Battles: Xuxa, who later became a famous Brazilian children's show host, spent years in legal battles to prevent the film's distribution in Brazil to protect her public image.

Themes of Incest: The movie's climax involves a controversial scene of sexual initiation between Hugo and his mother. Availability and Versions

While banned for many years in its home country, it was released on DVD in the United States in 2005. Love Strange Love (1982) - IMDb

Amor Estranho Amor (English title Love Strange Love) is a controversial 1982 Brazilian film directed by Walter Hugo Khouri. The movie centers on themes of eroticism, memory, and moral ambiguity, framed through the eyes of a journalist who returns to his past and recounts a sexualized encounter from his adolescence. Its reputation rests less on conventional cinematic achievements and more on the ethical controversies and cultural conversations it provoked.

Story and structure

Themes and motifs

Performances and direction

Controversy and cultural impact

Ethical considerations for viewers

Artistic appraisal

Conclusion Amor Estranho Amor is a film that remains significant mainly because it forces confrontation with difficult questions: how cinema represents sexuality, how memory sanitizes or eroticizes the past, and where lines must be drawn to protect the vulnerable. For some it is a provocative work of art that probes taboo territory; for many others it is a troubling piece whose content cannot be disentangled from real-world harm.

Title: A Haunting, Bizarre Masterpiece – The English Dub Adds a New Layer

Rating: 4/5 Stars (or 8/10)

I finally tracked down the English dubbed version of Amor Estranho Amor (marketed as Love Strange Love), and it is an experience I won’t forget. This is not a film for everyone, and it’s important to know going in that it’s a very uncomfortable, atmospheric dive into the memories of a politician recalling his traumatic childhood in a high-end brothel during the 1930s. The subject matter is heavy and deeply taboo, so viewer discretion is absolutely advised.

That said, as a piece of strange, dreamlike cinema, it’s undeniably powerful. The cinematography is lush and suffocating—you can almost feel the heat and the velvet curtains. Vera Fischer is absolutely mesmerizing; her performance is cold, beautiful, and terrifying all at once. You can’t look away from her.

Now, about the English dub: Usually, I’m a subtitle purist, but for this film, the dubbed version gives it an unexpected, almost surreal quality. The slightly off-kilter voice acting adds to the disorienting, nightmare-logic feel of the movie. It makes the already uncomfortable scenes feel even more artificial and dreamlike, which actually works in the film’s favor. The dialogue is melodramatic and stilted in a way that feels intentional.

If you’re a fan of obscure, controversial arthouse cinema—think Salo meets The Blue Lagoon in a Brazilian bordello—you need to see this. It’s not "fun" or "sexy." It’s disturbing, sad, and weirdly beautiful. The English dub makes it accessible and adds a unique flavor you won’t get from the original Portuguese.

Bottom Line: An awesome, strange, and troubling gem. Just don’t watch it with your parents. Themes and motifs

Recommend for: Fans of cult oddities, Vera Fischer completists, and anyone who likes movies that make them feel deeply unsettled.

For international audiences, the biggest draw of the film is the presence of Xuxa Meneghel. Before she became the "Queen of Short Skirts"—the most famous children’s television host in Latin America and a pop culture icon—she played the sophisticated, sensual Laura.

This casting decision is the source of the film’s enduring notoriety. Years later, when Xuxa was a household name hosting children's shows, she famously attempted to buy the rights to the film to prevent its distribution. She wanted to bury Love Strange Love to protect her family-friendly image, but the courts ruled against her. This legal battle only cemented the movie’s status as a "forbidden fruit," making the dubbed VHS tapes highly sought-after collector's items.

Directed by Walter Hugo Khouri, a master of psychological and erotic thrillers in Brazilian cinema, Love Strange Love is deceptively simple in its structure but densely layered in its meaning.

The film opens in the 1970s. A successful, middle-aged politician (played by José Lewgoy) sits alone in a luxurious but somber apartment. It is election night, but he is not celebrating. Instead, he slips into a lengthy flashback triggered by the scent of a woman’s perfume. We are transported back to 1937, on the eve of Brazil’s Estado Novo dictatorship.

The politician, then a 12-year-old boy named Hugo (Marcelo Ribeiro), is sent from his impoverished home to live in a lavish Rio de Janeiro mansion. This is no ordinary residence. It is a high-class brothel run by the elegant, calculating madame, Anna (Vera Fischer, a Miss Brazil turned international star). Here, politicians, military leaders, and businessmen come to indulge their most private desires.

Young Hugo becomes an accidental observer. As the only child in a house full of hardened, lonely sex workers, he navigates a bewildering world of adult intimacy, political intrigue, and awakening desire. The film’s central, shocking relationship blossoms between Hugo and Tamar (Xuxa Meneghel in her breakout role), a fragile, doll-like young woman. Their interactions, both innocent and profoundly transgressive, drive the movie toward a haunting climax that blurs the lines between maternal love, strange love, and exploitation.

While the film is told through Hugo’s eyes, the true star of Love Strange Love is Vera Fischer. A former Miss Brazil, Fischer delivers a performance that is equal parts bombshell and tragic heroine. Her portrayal of Olga—the woman who can have any man but finds a strange, maternal solace in the young Hugo—is the emotional anchor of the film. Her luminous beauty, combined with a surprising vulnerability, cemented her status as a cinematic sex symbol of the 1980s.

Directed by Walter Hugo Khouri, Love Strange Love is technically a political drama. The plot follows a successful politician who, during a tense election night in the 1970s, flashes back to his traumatic adolescence in 1937 Brazil. He was sent to live in a luxurious, isolated brothel run by his mysterious mother, Anna (Vera Fischer).

Yes. A brothel. As a teenager.

The film is lush, melancholic, and dripping with sweat and cigarette smoke. It’s shot in that dreamy, soft-focus 80s aesthetic where every shadow feels like a secret. But the reason this film has achieved cult notoriety isn’t just the cinematography—it’s the uncomfortable, poetic tension between a young boy (Marcelo Ribeiro) and the women who “raise” him.