A Steamy Brazilian Thriller Is Blazing A Trail To The Top Of The Netflix Charts
Despite reports that audiences are losing interest in sex scenes, the Netflix viewership charts are preaching the opposite. A Brazilian erotic thriller called "Burning Betrayal" recently hit the streaming platform, and is popping up on the top 10 charts across the globe. Perhaps it's the result of "Fair Play" dominating the charts at the end of September 2023, motivating viewers to look for even more tantalizing thrills. "Burning Betrayal" more than delivers on eroticism, as the first five minutes of the film boldly features graphic sex scenes, presented in a way that tricks the brain into thinking they might not be simulated.
Directed by Diego Freitas ("Beyond the Universe") and adapted from Sue Hecker's novel "O Lado Bom de Ser Traída" (rough translation: "The Good Side of Being Betrayed"), the film follows Babi (Giovanna Lancellotti), a successful accountant soon to be married, but feeling like she hasn't yet lived her life. She has wild dreams about getting banged like a screen door in a hurricane by a man who is not her fiancé, but she's engaged to an incredibly hot man, so she's willing to spend the rest of her life with him. However, when she discovers (during her bachelorette party at a male strip club, no less) that her fiancé has been unfaithful, devastated beyond belief Babi decides to change her life.
She joins a motorcycle social club and dyes her hair darker, intending to seek revenge on her ex. But things get complicated when she meets Marco (Leandro Lima), aka "the hot judge." The two begin a steamy affair, but she starts to grow suspicious that Marco's motivations might not be all that they seem.
Just like the '90s, but more explicit
With films like "Fair Play," "Saltburn," "Poor Things," and the upcoming "Challengers" debuting around the same time frame, it feels like we're finally seeing the resurgence of erotic thrillers in a way we haven't since the 1990s. That said, "Burning Betrayal" embraces the sexy sledgehammer subtlety and melodrama of the era with both hands, channeling a similar energy seen in the skin flicks that once dominated HBO after hours.
Marco is a walking red flag, there's a mysterious stalker subplot, Babi is frequently unveiling secrets of her ex, and she's constantly being warned by others about her new beau. Freitas cloaks the film in neon lighting that would make Joel Schumacher proud, and Babi's motorcycle habit keeps her clad in skin-tight leather for much of the film's runtime, not unlike Pamela Anderson in "Barb Wire." This film oozes so much sexuality that it doesn't matter that the actual story is paper thin.
It doesn't take a genius to see why "Burning Betrayal" is charting so well around the globe, especially in countries with repressive attitudes toward sexuality. Babi may be the star, but she is not the only person radiating arousal. Her friend Patty (Camilla de Lucas) is constantly trying to get it in, there's a "passage of time" montage set to people bumpin' and grinding, and there is no shortage of half (or fully) nude men who look like they were carved from marble just ... existing and being hot. The film miraculously never goes full frontal thanks to perfectly executed cinematography, but by god, it gets closer than anything else I've seen in a Netflix release.
Don't watch with your parents
For what it's worth, the sex scenes (which take up most of the film) are beautifully composed. There is an art to filming scenes like this, and cinematographer Victor Alencar is a master of the craft. It's genuinely impressive how close this film gets to being pornography with a plot without ever crossing the line, echoing the adult films of yesteryear that have been replaced by clip collages and OnlyFans livestreams.
The story of "Burning Betrayal" is a bit flaccid, but given the hot-as-hell performances and explicit content, it's doubtful that most viewers are watching this for the plot. Part of me wonders if Netflix will ever release how many viewers rewind certain moments (especially around the 45-minute mark), because there's no way that data isn't being tracked somewhere. So, if you want to watch "Burning Betrayal," know that this is the type of movie that you're in for. It's probably not the type of thing you want to watch with your parents on movie night, regardless of how popular it is on the charts.