Love for Sale

A modest but remarkable Brazilian drama, Love for Sale succeeds thanks to the artful direction of Karim Ainouz and the beguiling performance of leading lady Hermila Guedes as Hermila, a young mother (of a two-year-old boy) who has recently returned to her small, dismal hometown after failing to carve out a niche for herself in bustling Sao Paolo. While waiting for the boy's father, who promised to follow Hermila to her sleepy village, she takes a job selling raffle tickets and reunites with an old flame (João Miguel). When the baby's daddy fails to materialize, a desperate Hermila attempts to raise money by raffling herself off for one night of bliss, and even as the village turns against her, Hermila remains determined to secure her financial independence. Filmmaker Ainouz beautifully captures the hypocritical sense of outrage in a town where the men openly disdain the would-be prostitute but secretly purchase their tickets, hoping to win her favors. While the plot may sound simple, Love for Sale deals with complex emotions in a mature, compelling manner that Hollywood movies simply can't seem to pull off. Benefiting from a luminous performance by Guedes, who brings extraordinary passion and vulnerability to her character, this is recommended. (E. Hulse)