Claudio Carvalho When the girl Clara (Isabelle Ribas) is kidnapped from the daycare, her mother Sylvia (Fabiula Nascimento) goes to the police station to report the missing child. The chief inspector interrogates Sylvia and learns that her husband Bernardo (Milhem Cortaz) is an enforcer in a bus company. The low-middle class couple does not have any possessions; therefore they do not believe their daughter has been abducted for money. Then he interrogates the owner of the daycare that explains that she received a phone call from Sylvia telling to deliver Clara to a neighbor that the girl knew very well. When Bernardo arrives, he accuses the twenty-two year-old Rosa (Leandra Leal) of kidnapping his daughter. He discloses to the Chief Inspector that Rosa and he had had a love affair and the police detectives bring Rosa to the station to be interrogated and she tells that a woman forced her to kidnap the girl. As long as the interrogation goes on, it is disclosed a dark story of betrayal, jealousy and revenge. "O Lobo Atrás da Porta", a.k.a. "A Wolf at the Door", is a dark and cruel but realistic tale of betrayal, jealousy, unrequited love and revenge. We are living right in this moment in Rio de Janeiro an investigation where a pregnant pharmacist was found totally burned and almost impossible to be identified. "O Lobo Atrás da Porta" is basically supported by a believable story, excellent screenplay that keeps the attention of the viewers until the last scene and magnificent direction and performance. It is indeed a remarkable Brazilian film. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "O Lobo Atrás da Porta" ("The Wolf Behind the Door")

floatingpolarbear Like the beginning of a love affair this movie starts light on its toes and superficial lulling you into thinking you're just going to get a slice of life kind of Brazilian romantic comedy but looks can be deceiving. Soon enough surfaces start to crack and there's no mistake you're watching naked, raw egos in mortal combat of the highest order. Ordinary people can be spectacularly duplicitous and damaging to themselves and those in their orbit, throwing their emotionally eviscerating punches with operatic gusto. It's not over till the fat lady sings and by the time she does you're watching a horror movie ripped from real life headlines.

MartinHafer Fernando Coimbra Brazilian filmmaker is relatively new to the industry. With three short films to his credit, he's now come up with a full-length film that is very dark and possibly very upsetting to some viewers, so think twice before you give it a try. But if you do, it will leave probably leave you on edge by the time it's complete since it's rather gritty and disturbing...and very realistic.The film begins with a mother going to her daughter's daycare and learning that some lady had already picked up her daughter. The mother is panicked....she didn't send anyone to get the girl! Soon she's at the police station and the officer investigating isn't exactly professional in his methods. He thinks there's more to it-- like the family is holding something back. Sure enough, there is-- the father was having an affair and his mistress might have something to do with the disappearance.What follows is a long flashback to the mistress's life and her affair with this horrible man. He's violent and nasty....and some of this might be very hard for viewers to watch. The actors did a great job doing some very difficult and extremely emotional and gut- wrenching scenes. I am NOT criticizing the film for being tough to watch at times...I actually think Coimbra did a great job in not showing too much or glorifying the violence in the movie. How all this plays into the disappearance of his daughter is just something you'll need to see for yourself. Be prepared to be shocked and be prepared for a movie that starts off very slow but which grabs you and pulls you emotionally into the story. In addition to some violence and adult content, the film also has a reasonable amount of nudity. Like the violence, it isn't gratuitous...it's much more matter-of-fact. But I mention this because if you are looking for a good family movie or something to watch with your mother or Father O'Reilly, you might just want to try something else.

laika-spoetnik O Lobo atrás da Porta (A Wolf at the Door) got 2 stars out of 5 from in a Dutch newspaper. I went anyway and was not disappointed. As a matter of fact the Brazilian movie, directed by Fernando Coimbra, kept me engaged for the full 100 minutes.The main critique of the newspaper was that the characters should be more fleshed out: the psychological effects of being a mistress, a mother who may loose her child or a man on the verge of being exposed as an adulterer, should have been more explored.But I disagree.This movie is a crime thriller, and as the plot unfolds, we understand a lot of the underlying psychology.The scenario, the camera-work and the acting are all great. The story opens with a mother (Sylvia, played by Fabiula Nascimento) arriving to pick up her daughter at school, only to learn that the girl has already left with another woman. Soon it becomes clear that the Sylvia's husband Bernardo (Milhem Cortaz) has a lover, Rosa (Leandra Leal), who might be involved in the kidnapping in one way or another.Central in this movie are the interviews by the agile inspector (Antonio Saboia). We see the stories as told by the interrogated people in a flashback.First the stories are embellished. The husband tries to mitigate his adultery by saying something like "having a mistress is typically a man's thing, you know what I mean?" (to which the police officer briskly answers "no"). Bernardo also claims he was honest about his marriage to Rosa right from the start, but from Rosa's story it becomes clear he was not.Step by step we learn about the characters, the relationships, what really happened and why.