Beast Race

Posted on August 13, 2026 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: I think that they are talking about the races held by werewolves.

Vampire Bat: Werewolves are not the only official beasts in the world.

Vampire Owl: Humans call us beasts, but they are mistaken.

Vampire Bat: For some humans, beast is a positive thing.

Vampire Owl: I heard that demons and witches unleash beasts.

Vampire Bat: Those are just rumours spread to scare people around.

Vampire Owl: You think that even shadow demons don’t have beasts?

Vampire Bat: The shadow demons are beasts themselves.

Vampire Owl: They are also immortal, aren’t they?

Vampire Bat: We know that demons are forever, towards infinity.

[Gets an onion uthappam and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: Many years have passed, and Rio de Janeiro tries to survive with some grand transformation occurring in the area after the disappearance of the sea around it. With the whole world feeling the effect of strange natural phenomenon, the city becomes an entity separate from any kind of universal brotherhood or globalization. The climate change and disasters have changed the division between the rich and the poor, making it even worse for the latter, with no resources and no way of living. The wealthy elites who control everything and go on with their days in luxury, while the poor struggle to survive in the slums and their known world which have turned into wasteland areas. To control the people from rioting, the rich and the influential bring back Brazil’s traditional illegal animal lottery which was present in one way or the other in different formats, and transforms it into a deadly, high-stakes sport called the Beast Race. This game replaces animals with humans wearing animal tattoos and masks, and are called by the names of the creatures whom they choose to represent.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: In the game, the runners who take on animal alter-egos like Pig, Horse, Lion, Bull, Eagle, Cat etc have to race through lethal obstacle courses across four elimination stages set in urban or rural areas and maybe even forests. The ultimate winner earns a grand fortune along with the fame and respect. But every runner must offer a loved one as human collateral to enter the, and if the runner loses or dies, their collateral is condemned to the mysterious, dreaded place called Coast of Hell where they are experimented on, unless being bought by one of the elite wealthy people to be one of their slaves, but that comes at a very high price. The game is managed by Abu (Rodrigo Santoro), a former champion runner who won the race so many times and with relative ease that he went on to become the game’s mastermind, and holds a high status among the elite class who treat the runners as their disposable playable characters in the running game. He gets to make many decisions which are even frowned upon by the rich and the influential.

And what more to follow here in a world of races with lives at stake and a revolution in waiting? :: Mano (Matheus Abreu) is the biggest opponent of the idea of this game, as he leads a rebel enclave in a zone. He keeps fighting against the games by taking out racers who attempt to take the easy path through his territory as the race usually takes place around the perimeter area. Mano’s plans for revolution against elite class and the game is shattered when the boyfriend of his younger sister, Dalva (Thainá Duarte), secretly enters the race and is forced to offer her up as his human collateral. This means that Mano needs to replace the weak boyfriend who seems like someone who could lose in the initial rounds – he does the same, and takes the alter-ego of the Cat. Nadine (Isis Valverde) takes over as his player, guiding him as his eyes, as she joins in for the first time. She is also determined to take control from the usual winners and emerge as the new leading player by making her runner win, as she herself was a slave who was bought by an elite class man and used for his pleasure until reaching this level. As Nadine and Mano work hard to prove a point, will there be a change in a world of hopelessness?

The defence of Beast Race :: The apocalyptic world here has been built with a difference, and the dystopian touch also has our attention. The parkour moves through what seems to be more or less dangerous obstacle courses across apocalyptic environments makes this creative and highly entertaining. The world has been nicely built and we see the environment undergoing the needed variations for the world after the apocalyptic situation. There is a lot of action around, and we do enjoy the same, especially with some nail-biting finishes during the game. Matheus Abreu as Mano makes an impressive journey as the runner despite the beginning stages not seeming to do that much. The most notable character is Isis Valverde as Nadine, one of the most solid performances in a movie of this genre; the kind of character that we should see in Hollywood movies too – she might be the best thing about this movie, as we see her coming out of nowhere. Rodrigo Santoro as Abu becomes one of the smartest villains you might ever see. Thainá Duarte also has her moments around here.

Positives and negatives :: There are many classic moments which this movie could have had, but it often hesitates to take the extra risk and does not fully work on the rebellion against the rich and the influential – maybe the same is kept for a possible sequel in the future. A number of characters feel side-lined, and the final big rebellion never really arrives. The romantic side arrives late, but works when it makes an impact related to the need for revolution from a shared post. That earlier setting for the rebellion goes unanswered, leaving the climax feeling more like an unfinished pilot for a developing franchise rather than one movie which starts and ends with itself. Some of the ideas of the movie feels only partially unexplored as there is no further development of a few elements which decides the seriousness and danger of the movie. The true nature of the Coast of Hell is never really revealed and the much broader politics controlling the game are left unresolved, as we keep wondering about how slaves come up in the ranks in a world which deprives even the common citizens of their rights.

How it finishes :: Those who watched The Running Man are sure to be interested in this one, and there is a certain amount of divergence related to this one too. This also serves as the Latin American version of The Hunger Games, even though that much of a huge fight and talk about rebellion is not around. This is also one movie which makes us feel why we cannot have such a movie in regional film industries of India too, as the end of the world could exist with divergence in all parts of the world, and could develop divergent dystopias. The movie here does the best during its high-octane parkour sequences and survival races, anchored by strong environment and surprising performances which rise in level later. The movie’s success in creating an entertaining, dystopian and post-apocalyptic spectacle that pushes the boundaries makes us interested. This was actually discovered surprisingly on Amazon Prime Video, and it is available in multiple languages including English and Hindi. You should give this one a try if you have loved this kind of worlds and survival games.

Release date: 17 March 2026
Running time: 124 minutes
Directed by: Fernando Meirelles, Rodrigo Pesavento, Ernesto Solis
Starring: Matheus Abreu, Rodrigo Santoro, Isis Valverde, Bruno Gagliasso, Seu Jorge, Grazi Massafera, Leandro Firmino, Silvero Pereira, João Guilherme, Anitta

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Amelia’s Children

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: We have not been reviewing many Portuguese movies.

Vampire Bat: We have only managed one, and it was not out of Portugal either.

Vampire Owl: I am sure that Bacurau will still count as Portuguese.

Vampire Bat: Yes, Brazilian movies are in Portuguese, so it counted.

Vampire Owl: So, this is the first Portuguese film from Portugal we are reviewing.

Vampire Bat: Yes, this is indeed a milestone too.

Vampire Owl: Yet we have so many Spanish movies here.

Vampire Bat: Some of these Spanish movies were true classics.

Vampire Owl: I hope that this one will inspire us to watch more Portuguese films.

Vampire Bat: Well, we are immortal and can watch them all.

[Gets a paneer masala dosa and three cups of Wayanad tea].

What is the movie about? :: Edward (Carloto Cotta) has been looking to find his family as he has always felt without roots. One day, his girlfriend Riley (Jack Haven) provides him with a DNA test kit. The results reveal more about his birth, and that he has a twin brother, Manuel (Carloto Cotta) and also their mother named Amelia (Anabela Moreira) who live in a small village in Portugal. Edward and Riley travel to the huge villa in the middle of the woods so that he can finally feel like having a family. This is a strange, but an emotional reunion. But Riley feels that there is something wrong, as the locals are hostile to them, and both the twin brother and the mother seem to be hiding something. There seems to be not much of interest being talked about, and Amelia looks and acts strange. She even hears something weird from outside the room where Manuel and Amelia are found sleeping together in a bed, making her question the kind of family which seems to exist in that seemingly perfect building.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Riley notices a strange bonding between the brothers that feels unnatural, even though they are seeing each other for the first time, and Edward was once not really sure about the meeting. Riley tries to uncover the secrets that seems to plague the villa, and feels that Amelia has some supernatural powers and is part of a ritualistic system of which Manuel is also a member. The mother-son relationship is not what seems to be from a distance. Riley’s growing realization is also supported by nightmares which seem to come to her at regular intervals. The question remains if she knows this particular world within the woods well enough and whether she can escape from it. Edward seems to be ready to remain there as part of the family, but he is also having his own dose of hallucinations. The people of the village seem to hope that they will leave soon, as if it is the right things to do. Will there be escape or will there be death?

The defence of Amelia’s Children a.k.a. A Semente do Mal :: The world has been nicely built here, and finding the roots itself was a starting which seemed to mean much more than what met the eye. This idea of discovering a long-lost family through DNA testing, only to find something supernatural associated with it, makes the whole thing interesting. The mixture of psychological with the supernatural elements gives it much more depth. Then there is the setting, the atmosphere that does a fine job. The building itself has something like we ha in Crimson Peak to add to the structural fear, even though this is not that much of a scary architecture, and never is an attempt to made to elevate the level to such a world of fear. The creepiness is always present, even they do not really come to the front. The premise has already done most of the work here. The presence of a witch provides the much-needed boost to a world which has started off well. The ending, even though not that deep into the situation, leaves us with a scope for a sequel to expand this better.

The claws of flaw :: The struggle of long run-time seems to plague this movie even though it is not long at all. There might be a little bit too much revealed early, and that might have plagued the later run and might have kept it running without much happening to create an impact. The twist should have been kept better hidden with red herrings or at least by deviating to something less important. It seems to stretch due to not trying to do well enough with the content and let everything unfold – even the leading performers seem to be left on their own rather than their characters undergoing anything. The mood seems to be mixed here, as the strongest element of supernatural horror often losses the way. The main lady character should have been the central point, and the one who should stay scared and attacked, but she seems to have a run without that big sense of danger. She does not become that big a scream queen as the usual elements of horror, and even that of slasher remains largely forgotten when dealing with her character.

The performers of the soul :: The performances are pretty good, but not much when we consider the possibilities of the horror. This is a world of scares, and the usual do not satisfy the environment that much – The Well had realized the same in Italy, but in Portugal, that blending is paused due to the lack of pace which seems to plague the characters as if it is an old award movie where not enough happens to provide the performers with scope. Carloto Cotta does quite well in the two roles, even though it is nothing out of the box, and not much expands. Anabela Moreira does well to manage the strangeness present there, while Alba Baptista who portrays her younger version does the same perfectly – she has the looks and expression to bring the strangeness of a mortal immortal. Jack Haven does a fine job, but does not seem to try that hard. There is a certain amount of predictability in the work and the journey is just accordingly, nothing more or less. The same is also applicable to the final moments when there is nothing grand in the performances, but just enough, as if playing by the safe side.

How it finishes :: Amelia’s Children could have been a classic, but it chooses not use that many scares even though it is in a village with woods and a strange villa in the middle of all – this could have been horror unleashing itself, but the movie holds itself back. The same is also done in the last moments when this could have come with a shock, but chooses to go for the unexpected. The titular character wanders in the old form too much, and the young form would have been nice if appeared at least in hallucinations often. There are moments when the mother could have been young, and there are situations when fear could have had many different faces, and even darkness could have been used better. Yet, the movie keeps us interested, thanks to the mystery that prevails throughout its run. There is always the feeling that something bigger is to come and that it is going to be a shocker, and it is that feeling and the existence of terror ready to be unleashed keeps us going. It was never going to be The Conjuring, The Nun, Annabelle, Insidious or Sinister, but manages to do enough.

Release date: 18th January 2024
Running time: 91 minutes
Directed by: Gabriel Abrantes
Starring: Jack Haven, Carloto Cotta, Anabela Moreira, Alba Baptista, Rita Blanco

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Bacurau

Posted on May 19, 2020 by Dr. Tennyson

Vampire Owl: Now, we have time for Portuguese movies too.

Vampire Bat: Yes, and this one is not really from Portugal. It is Brazilian.

Vampire Owl: Well, we have always loved most of the things which are Brazilian.

Vampire Bat: You are saying that mostly related to the football team.

Vampire Owl: It is something that one would say during the FIFA World Cup.

Vampire Bat: Well, in that case, Brazil is not the only team in the picture.

Vampire Owl: Actually, nothing matches the fan support of Argentina and Brazil even during these days when the European teams are gaining the fans.

Vampire Bat: Yes, even though Germany, France, Spain, Italy and England got quite a good number of fans, and increasing.

Vampire Owl: Let us now dedicate this movie watching adventure to the Brazilian football team then.

Vampire Bat: I am very much in support of such a thing, but it is to be noted that Movies of the Soul doesn’t get much of the views from Brazil or Portugal, even though the former is picking up these days of Corona Virus and lock-down.

[Gets a green apple cake and three cups of white tea].

What is the movie about? :: After the death of her grandmother Carmelita (Lia de Itamaraca), Teresa (Barbara Colen) comes home to her village in Brazil after a long time to find that something is not right, and it is not the same as she had left it then. Some of her old friends like Acacio (Thomas Aquino) are still there though, and there has not been much modern development out there. Bacurau, a small fictional settlement in Brazil’s remote backcountry doesn’t get much of an attention from anyone in the city, as nobody really comes that way. It doesn’t work even as a tourist destination with so many hills and forests around. Even those who are contesting for the mayor spot just comes there with some books and medicines, and after a few minutes, just leaves the place. It is so remote that if someone comes in an advanced car or bike, people would be feeling that there is something wrong, or something special is going to happen out there.

So, what happens with the events here? :: Even though there was a death recently, they have no time for mourning as the water supply has been cut off with water tankers coming that way having holes on it, animals from the forest are running through the streets, and their place has disappeared from all satellite maps completely. Soon, there is no network connection in their mobile phones either. Along with the same, some strangers are walking arouns with guns, and an Unidentified Flying Object has been located nearby. It had to do something with people who were not from around the settlement, and not even from further out in Sao Paulo, Brasilia or Rio de Janeiro. What could be happening around here? Can there be something sinister in play here? Will it be the work of something paranormal or that of influential people who have some evil plans?

The defence of Bacurau :: The visuals of a fictional, remote, Brazilian village makes an impact, and so does the people there, most of them being simple, likable people. The movie does get into the mood of a thriller in the later stages, and there is some nice shooting to go with it as the action begins. With danger getting closer, there are some stranger, but effective measures taken, and the whole situation changes. During the time of Corona Virus, this is more relevant, as people are quarantined into small towns and villages. There is the question about what one can do while facing an armed attack at the same time – with no defense against the human predators, what would the people who are locked in like animals do? The terror created colonialism and terrorism has a new face, as people are not considered to be humans, but things to be hunted and killed. When someone chooses your home as a shooting range with a racist ideology, there is nothing else to do, but to fight back, and the movie shows the underdogs coming up with the same, nicely.

The claws of flaw :: There is the chance of people having doubt about this movie in the beginning, wondering where the tale is heading, and only after establishing everything that we see a certain change beginning to happen. When a lady gets a lift with a truck driver and they are traveling in a road in the middle of nowhere, you feel that this is going to be a very slow, clueless, award movie in which nothing much happens, and you have to find meaning for everything after spending days thinking about it, but you have to get over that feeling to start enjoying this movie which is much more. It doesn’t follow the pattern of the usual action adventure thriller, and never does it try to explain everything which is happening around there, thus making it not a movie for everyone. Some sequences seem to be unwanted, and it surely drags in the beginning, taking time to get into its world. After avoiding some unnecessary sequences and shortening the run-time, this could have a better one to look out for.

Performers of the soul :: Berbara Colenmight seem like the main character in the beginning, but she is not – it is to be noted that she does come up with a simple and serene performance though. Then there is Sonia Braga, but she is not the leading lady either. Thomas Aquino also has a big role to play here, but he remains just one of the characters when we consider the film with its totality. Silvero Pereira as Lunga comes into the picture late, and has his own moments to steal some of the show. But one has to feel that this is a movie without one protagonist or an antagonist, as there are many characters spread throughout the movie – in the beginning, we think that one person is the star, and then we see the focus shifting from there, and other characters are thrown into the picture with chances of being the leader, but the same keeps changing all the time. There are moments when one feels that there is something here that people from other parts of the world might end up missing. Well, the approval rating of 90% based on 125 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes should mean something more.

How it finishes :: Bacurau is the first Portuguese movie that I have watched, and I have been wishing to watch one for a long time. The movie is Brazilian and not Portuguese in identity, and is thus closer to Latin America than Europe, providing a different experience. It is great to see a new world displayed in the movie, with all its simplicity, and the natural problems which come with the same. The action comes in the later stages, and the movie turns into a thrilling adventure without any warning. Bacurau might be a good choice to start watching as far as those different or rather strange movies are concerned. There are times when we think that Bacurau is not just a small town in the middle of nowhere that struggles to be displayed on the map, but a reflection of what can happen to people when facing the inherent cruelty from the rest of the human beings who consider themselves to be very much superior in race, technology, colour, strength or anything else.

Release date: 25th September 2019
Running time: 132 minutes
Directed by: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juliano Dornelles
Starring: Sonia Braga, Udo Kier, Barbara Colen, Thomas Aquino, Silvero Pereira, Karine Teles, Julia Marie Peterson