Taking into account the beliefs and doctrines adopted by a person, how far can ignorance endure their surroundings over their faith? What is their breaking point to go from permanence to mental permutation? These are some of the questions one might ask while watching Medusa, a Brazilian feature film written and directed by .

Mariana (Mari Oliveira) seems to have an ideal life by choosing Christianity as part of her formation as a person and as a social practice. She and her friends are part of a community that preaches peace during the day through song, but at night they do it with violence towards any woman they consider to have been a sinner and they publish their most recent conversions / attacks on social media to reach more people with their actions. One night, while stalking an unknown woman the group targeted, tables turn and Mariana becomes the victim when she is attacked by the same woman– her face is left with a long scar hard to ignore and, for this, she is fired from her job as an assistant in a beauty clinic. With this unexpected turn of events, Mariana will begin to see things differently and, everything that had been forbidden to her in the past, her desires and curiosities will slowly have their own light to overshadow what she previously had considered pure and clear.

Medusa is the clear example of everything that polarizes the masses when a select group of people wants to take control over the lives of others by making decisions for them and ignoring their rights and free will. It frames how someone can come to think their beliefs are the only ones to respect, and how they act against what bothers them even when it doesn’t affect them existentially.

There are no elements to erase from this, nor are there any spare parts. The precise dialogue, the aesthetic between pastel and neon colors, and the perverse interpretation of each character creates an unbreakable bond that gives greater weight to a story flowing without a break or obstacle to a dystopia that at times seems to be closer to becoming a reality. In addition to this, it is impossible to ignore the allegory the title represents to the narrative as it replicates Medusa’s myth and takes some bases from Greek tragedies with the use of masks, either through a literal mask or makeup.

Medusa is a delicious satire represented as a neon nightmare with an artistic vision that’ll force the viewer to watch it nonstop, questioning the scruples of a community hiding behind words of so-called faith while simulating perfection because reality is so harsh and intolerable to the point it becomes uncomfortable even for those who preach falsely with tranquility by lurking in the disturbance of their own morals.

10 OUT OF 10 LIKES

Medusa
RATING: N/A
MEDUSA Trailer | TIFF 2021

Runtime: 2 Hrs. 7 Mins.
Directed By:
Written By:

About the Author

Brandon Henry was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico, just south of the border of San Diego. His birthplace is the main reason nothing really scares him (kidding… it’s a very safe place). His love for horror films came when his parents accidentally took him to watch Scream, at the age of 6, thinking that it was a safe-choice because it starred “that girl from Friends”. At 12, he experienced the first of many paranormal events in his life. While he waits to be possessed by the spirit of a satanic mechanic, he works as a Safety Engineer and enjoys going to the theater, watching movies and falling asleep while reading a book. Follow him on Instagram @brndnhnry and on Twitter @brandon_henry.