Aarcflick

 Brazilian writer-director Anita Rocha de Silveira made her feature debut six years ago with Kill Me Please, a singularly quirky yet disconcerting cocktail of teenage sexual awakening, giallo thriller elements, and indie-film ambiguity. Her boldness extends to Medusa’s slightly larger canvas and slightly older heroines. It again offers a satirically disturbing take on issues of sex and violence among emotionally combustible young people, and this sophomore effort adds a more explicit sociopolitical critique. The coiled-spring tension that kept Please taut despite its diffuse narrative relaxes somewhat here, making the whole less successful. Still, the audacity of de Silveira’s concept (in which students at an upmarket Christian college indulge in secret, moralizing vigilante mayhem) and her deliberately over-the-top aesthetic make Medusa a compelling mix. It may miss the mark, but not for lack of intriguing ideas or style. Stars: Juana Acosta, Manolo Cardona, Sebastián Martínez Fan...