Because of this, the version became even more valuable. It preserved the uncensored, original runtime without the Portuguese subtitles that modern Brazilian censors might flag. Visual Style: The Aesthetic of Strange Love Walter Hugo Khouri was no hack. Regardless of the moral panic surrounding the film, his direction is undeniably stylish. The film is drenched in deep shadows, amber lighting, and claustrophobic framing. The brothel feels like a gilded cage—a mausoleum of desire.
In the cut, color grading varies wildly between prints. The original Brazilian release had a warm, sepia tone for the flashbacks. The English exclusive, sold on foreign VHS labels like "Video Vision" and "Starmaker," often has a washed-out, cyan-green tint that gives the film an even more alien, feverish quality. amor estranho amor love strange love 1982 english exclusive
This aesthetic has influenced modern "sleaze revival" directors like Nicolas Winding Refn (who reportedly owns a rare English print) and Gaspar Noé. Here is the hard truth for the modern searcher: You cannot stream this film legally in English. Because of this, the version became even more valuable
Does the right to art supersede the protection of a child actor? Does an English dub create a new, separate work from the Portuguese original? These questions keep the film alive, buried in the strange, shadowy space between art-house and grindhouse. Regardless of the moral panic surrounding the film,
Yes. The same Xuxa. The "Queen of the Shorties," the beloved children's television host who later sang about Easter bunnies and xylophones, is at the center of one of the most controversial erotic scenes in cinema history. That dissonance—the innocence of a children's star colliding with the explicit nature of "strange love"—is why this film refuses to die. Most Brazilian films from the pornochanchada era (a Brazilian sex-comedy genre) never received international dubs. Amor Estranho Amor was different. Investors saw potential for an art-house/grindhouse crossover in the United States and Europe. Thus, the English exclusive cut was produced.
Due to ongoing rights disputes between Xuxa’s estate, the director’s heirs, and international distributors, Love Strange Love exists in a legal grey zone. The original film negatives are held in a vault in São Paulo, but the English master tapes are scattered across private collections.
We search for this film for the same reasons we search for Salò or the uncut Cannibal Holocaust : to confront the forbidden. But Love Strange Love adds an extra layer—the uncanny valley of seeing a beloved children’s entertainer in a context that shatters her public image.