Divine Love
Entry updated 27 June 2025. Tagged: Film, People.
Brazilian film (2019; original title Divino Amor). Desvia, Malbicho Cine, Snowglobe Films. Directed by Gabriel Mascaro. Written by Gabriel Mascaro, Rachel Daisy Ellis, Lucas Paraizo, Esdras Bezerra. Cast includes Emílio de Mello, Julio Machado and Dira Paes. 101 minutes. Colour.
Brazil, 2027. An initial voice-over informs us that the biggest event in the country is no longer Carnival, but a Religious festival in which dancers wait for word from God. It is a world of drive-through churches, scanners in shops publicly announcing women's marital status and whether or not they are pregnant, and required registration for unborn children. 40-year old Joana (Paes), a deeply religious notary, uses her position to try to dissuade couples from divorcing, to have children, and to attend the church of Divine Love. As well as the usual Bible readings and baptisms, this church also encourages swapping partners for Sex. Joana is tormented by her and her husband's inability to have a child. Entering a store one day the scanner announces she is pregnant. However, DNA scans confirm that the father is not her husband (Machado), or anyone at the church. Joana becomes convinced that she is carrying God's baby, which results in the end of her marriage, and eviction from the church. The film ends with the baby having been born, and Joana refusing to register him, effectively removing him from society. It is revealed that the baby has been supplying the voice-over from the future.
Divine Love is a compelling and provocative mix of Near-Future speculation and ambiguous religious mysticism, to comment on the increase in fundamentalism and conservatism in Brazilian society. The exquisitely composed images conjure a world of neon-lit churches that resemble fast-food restaurants, and brutalist architecture housing a soulless bureaucracy, which Joana attempts to humanize in ways which management and customers often find offensive. The performances convey an internalized passion which matches the restrained but evocative visual style. [CWa]
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