gunslinger861 Call me cynical, Narrow minded, whatever but this film is horrible in every sense. OK basically a twelve year old boy is sent by his grandmother to his mother who works and runs a big name bordello to press her for money. Being in this environment of course he gets a real education in the matters of sex. But at the end his final lesson is taught to him by dear old mom.Where do I start?? Oh yea why is this film around. I was completely floored at the ending. This twelve year old is in a sex scene with a grown woman...two different times! In those scenes that child was a grope away from this being child porn. Even the implication of such things like when he wet down he stomach and you see a big smile on her face...c'mon we all know what that means is wrong. This is abuse pure and simple.What floors me more than that is the fact that people seem to think this is OK. Saying " Oh its art". You can defecate in a dixe cup and someone will call it art that couldn't be motr true than here. Anyone who OK with this kind of thing...get help please. Also the whole XuXa thing. if I did this film I would try and stop it as well. She really should be ashamed of her self. the fact that she is a children's entertainer now seems real messed up.

lazarillo This Brazilian movie somewhat resembles the soapy, exploitative Brazilian "pornochachada" films of its era, but is a much more serious and arty (and pretentious) period film. The fairly serious plot is certainly not helped by the atrocious English dubbing of the existing VHS version, but the bigger problem is that the whole movie is even more laughably implausible than even the wildest, most out-there "pornochadas" I've seen.The film is told in flashback as a fifty-something man remembers a brief period during WWII where he came to visit an upscale brothel managed by his mother. As political intrigue swirls both inside and outside the brothel, the twelve-year-old protagonist is seduced by no less than three of the prostitutes. The serious historical intrigue notwithstanding, it's very hard to buy (even in Brazil)that adult women working daily in the sex trade could not resist bedding a boy whose testicles probably haven't dropped yet. Obviously, the sex scenes between the nude adult women and the partially nude adolescent boy were (and still would be) considered controversial, but I think this movie is much less guilty of exploiting the adolescent male body than it is of exploiting the adolescent male fantasies that most adult males still vividly recall. (Besides if you're really looking at the twelve-year-old actor in the presence of all these voluptuous Brazilian women, I think it says a lot more about you than it does the movie).As other reviews have mentioned, one of the prostitutes here is played Xuxa Menghel who went on to become a pretty big celebrity singer (and kiddie TV host!) in Brazil. She may indeed be the reason this rattling skeleton in her closet does not seemingly exist in any version with its native language. Still, she is undeniably sexy whether stripping out of a ridiculous bear costume or rubbing her naked self against the barely pubescent protagonist. She and some of the other women (including "pornochchada" regular Vanessa Alves)are really the only thing this overly serious, and at the same time, laughably ridiculous movie really has going for it.

jademarine What could be more beautiful than a young boy's discovery of adult love from those who knew it best. Seeing it from an old man's eyes looking back on his childhood. Experiencing it from the childs awe and discovery of a world where beauty and sex were valued in a special way. Then, to have his mother, who loved him so very much, take him the final step into manhood.While some may cringe at the subject matter, I believe it was treated with sensitivity and respect. Would only that my initiation into adulthood was with such love. I am thankful I have been able to pass on the wonder and amazement of discovering Love, Strange Love to some. Being the first love of another is a special gift.

Flavio Velame This movie could be only another erotic brazilian 80's movie. But the presence of Xuxa, the famous popstar, made it a very special one. There is a rumor that when Xuxa fans found out this movie, she went to court in order to forbid it. I don't know if it is real, but I should say that the tapes disappeared...They're very rare nowadays. The scenes could make a scandal with Xuxa's reputation, but she solved it very well. She is currently in a TV Programme presenting fairy tales to young kids. Compare it to the scenes of the movie, specifically the ones she is "acting" with kids...