Madame Satã

Rio, 1932. Angry, Black, gay, and poverty-ridden, João Francisco do Santos (an astounding Lázaro Ramos) is a low-end diva cabaret performer by night, hoping to someday occupy the spotlight. Meanwhile, at home he finds adoration in slave-like black drag queen Taboo and prostitute Laurita, whose daughter he's helping to raise. Between robbing sex partners - with assist from Tabu - João falls into an affair with Renatinho, one of the hottest pieces of rough trade we've seen, is tossed in jail, and eventually convinces the owner of "The Blue Danube", a hangout for gays, criminals and bohemians, to let him perform.

Flamboyant and frenzied, a sweaty mix of Josephine Baker and Jean Genet, the performance is a massive success, and João experiences true happiness for the first time. But can racism, violence, and adversity subside long enough for it to last? Brazil-raised, Ainouz worked within the '90s NYC indie film scene, notably as assistant to Christine Vachon and Todd Haynes. He first heard of João Francisco's mythical alter-ego (a moniker inspired by Cecil B. DeMille's Madame Satan) in the '80s, when he attended Sao Paolo's "Madame Satã" punk nightclub. Intoxicating, visually stunning, and boasting intense over-sexed performances, his cinematic portrait is a monumental must-see work. (Portuguese with English subtitles)

Lawrence Ferber