Burning Betrayal (2023)

Burning Betrayal (2023)

A Brazilian erotic thriller that hasn’t lit up a spark

5.5

Movie

Brazil
Portuguese
Drama, Mystery, Romance
2023
DIEGO FREITAS
Bruno Montaleone, Camilla de Lucas, Giovanna Lancellotti
99 min

TLDR

If you’re opening Netflix just “to chill” with your significant other, then by all means.

What it's about

After realizing her fiance’s been cheating on her, successful accountant Babi is so furious that she decides to start over– dyeing her hair black, getting back on her motorcycle, and jumping into a torrid affair. However, there’s something mysterious with her new beau Marco.

The take

Tagged by Netflix as a stylish thriller driven by a bold sexual adventure, Burning Betrayal feels less erotic and less thrilling than expected. Sure, there are stunning sex scenes, and unexplainable incidents that seem at first the result of a breakup. However, the first half of Burning Betrayal does not adequately set up the last half, as it focused nearly half its runtime just throwing in as much sex scenes as possible. And for what? There’s nothing character-wise that makes any of the men in Babi’s life so compelling, even in the toxic, addictive sort of way. And when the twist comes, it feels like it’s been all thrown arbitrarily. It really just feels like multiple pretty music videos masquerading as a movie.

What stands out

Burning Betrayal is meant to be an erotic thriller, so it’s no surprise that the film has as many sex scenes that they can possibly cram into the film’s runtime. However, there’s nothing really compelling about the hot man Babi immediately moves on to, other than his looks. Marco’s gorgeous, sure, but so is her mild mannered best friend and her ex-fiance. We know nothing about his character, no scene that could spark our imagination of the type of man he is, in a way that makes him feel different from the other hot men in Babi’s life. So, even with the film’s twist, there’s nothing there for the viewers to care about their love.

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