Burning Betrayal (2023) (Film Review)

Burning Betrayal (2023) The pleasure of being betrayed ! Classified under Thriller, but you can clearly tell it’s an Erotic Thriller! Directed by Diego Freitas with Giovanna Lancellotti in the lead role and adapted from the novel by Sue Hecker.

Lancellotti uses her devastating charm to no end in this film where all the males fall for her, even her best friend (played by Bruno Montaleone). This actress is the only thing that really keeps this Brazilian film going. A film that has too much sex (about every fifteen minutes and two are already in the first five minutes!) to be really good. You might as well see a porn film if that’s what you’re after.

The plot twists are interesting. But the best friend is unbearable. And a judge (Leandro Lima) who’s ultra handsome, rides a motorbike, gets all emotional with his sick child, drives really fast and rushes to save the woman he loves… I don’t really believe it! It’s a bit the opposite of my vision of justice.

Yes, everyone here is beautiful. It’s like they’ve cast models to play roles without any empathy, just to show off their muscular bodies. Sulphurous, torrid, you could use all those words… but the film is too simple and cruelly lacking in suspense. There’s nothing really original.

The Brazilians can’t seem to do it either when they try to copy the Americans! And the fact that it’s a pure Netflix product doesn’t save the film either. Obviously, it appealed to a whole category of people who see it as art, well filmed, photographed and not vulgar. I’m not really sure I share that point of view.

From everything I’ve read, there’s a film called “365 days” that would be exactly the same style. Ever since the bland “50 Shades of Grey”, we’ve been gorged on films of this style, which are a far cry from the 7th art. It’s slightly better than Mea Culpa (2024) and Basic Instinct 2 (2006), but not as good as 9 1/2 Weeks (1986) and definitely not as good as the first Basic Instinct (1992). The Voyeurs (2021) is much better too. In short!

My Rating