Recensioni de* critic*

By way of its lush and inviting aesthetic, as well as the sexy electronic score, the film reflects how proselytizing has taken on the form of an enticing, easily consumable product: a drive-thru praying session with a pastor or a massive rave for Jesus.

Tender despite its oblique narrative style, Mascaro has crafted an eerie futuristic parable which resonates far beyond the credits in its thoughtful deliberations on faith and the signs we all seek to explain our continued belief systems, whatever approximations or paradigms they may be.

["Divine Love"] is not necessarily a reaction. Rather, it’s an imaginative and sometimes dryly funny exploration of the state and self intersecting — and sometimes falling into conflict — when testing the limits of finding a place for a centuries-old religion in the modern world.

What’s novel about "Divine Love" is undercut by its conclusion, which swings a little too wide when it comes to hitting thematic marks, but the film is still remarkable for building a dystopia and addressing a multitude of well-worn themes in a way that feels utterly fresh. Nothing that Mascaro is tackling is necessarily new; the key is that his approach is.

“Divine Love” might be a thoughtful critique of Brazil’s rising conservatism, but its global relevancy is also undeniable. This is a shocking, wonderfully acted and surprisingly erotic film that leaves one with more questions than answers, like any good film that dares to tackle the vastness of faith should.

Again gorgeously shot and produced, impressively acted and with a lot of fascinating things on its mind, this is yet further proof that the 35-year-old Mascaro is one of the most audacious and gifted filmmakers of his generation.

Sustaining an atmosphere that runs from the sweatily carnal to the clinical, sometimes in the same scene, “Divine Love” envisions an unsettling compromise reached between Brazil’s most puritanical and most hedonistic extremes of society.

While this 2027-set drama often favours mood over story, it convincingly draws viewers into its exploration of religion and romance... Mascaro’s striking aesthetics give ["Divine Love"] a texture and atmosphere that aligns the audience firmly with its protagonist; [Joana] is seeking transcendence, and the movie she’s in approximates it one lustrous frame at a time.

Joana’s plight amounts to a haunting melodrama elevated to near-anthropological heights by filmmaking that relishes every opportunity to build out her environment. No matter how much Mascaro reaches into the future, “Divine Love” retains an immediacy steeped in questions about the nature of faith, physical attraction, and the factors that can transform the personal into the political.

Through his exquisite vision, Mascaro tells a curious tale of spiritual commitment, marital strife, and the blurred separation of church and state, leading to an ultimately surprising, powerful conclusion... Without ever letting his personal political and religious inclinations overtake the humanity of his characters, ["Divine Love"] subtly shows the beauty that can be found when we tell a story of struggle with an open, earnest perspective.