As Meneghel's career skyrocketed in the late 1980s—becoming a children's TV icon with her show "Xou da Xuxa" (1986-1991), and eventually an international star—the existence of a film where she played a prostitute and engaged in sexual scenes with a minor became a professional liability. In 1992, at the height of her fame, she successfully went to court to have the film banned. She argued that the contract for her participation did not include home video rights, and she proceeded to from rental stores.
: Amidst political unrest in Brazil, young Hugo finds himself surrounded by enticing women who are fascinated by his naivete. He begins to explore his curiosity and erotic fantasies by watching the women interact with their clients. Cast and Production Vera Fischer : Plays Anna, Hugo's mother. Marcelo Ribeiro : Plays the 12-year-old Hugo. Xuxa Meneghel : Plays Tamara, a young prostitute who seduces Hugo. Tarcísio Meira : Plays Dr. Osmar, the powerful politician. The Controversy
: In 2014, the Brazilian courts ruled against Xuxa regarding the Google search filters, stating that search engines cannot be held responsible for hosting or indexing historical media. Her final appeals were officially denied in 2017. English Releases and International Availability
For the adult stars, Amor Estranho Amor became a lifelong stigma. Vera Fischer was at the peak of her beauty and fame. She was a national sex symbol. Her performance as Laura is genuinely compelling—icy, tragic, and predatory. But as she rose to become a beloved telenovela star, the film followed her like a ghost. In the 1990s, she attempted to buy the negative to destroy it. Amor Estranho Amor -Love Strange Love- -1982- English
While in the brothel, young Hugo is exposed to a world of intense sexual activity, seduction, and political intrigue, often acting as an innocent observer amidst the "lavish settings, the gorgeous women," as described on IMDb . Key Characters Hugo's mother, a beautiful prostitute. Hugo (Marcelo Ribeiro): The naive, young protagonist.
Having finally been lifted from its legal shadows and made available to the public, the film now exists in a state of uneasy détente. With the passage of time, it serves less as a source of scandal and more as a historical document—a snapshot of Brazil’s film industry in 1982, grappling with themes of power, memory, and exploitation in an era of liberalization. For Xuxa, the nightmare is over, but the bizarre legacy of Love Strange Love continues to captivate and disturb audiences, proving that sometimes, the stories behind a film are even stranger than fiction.
The 1982 Brazilian erotic drama remains one of the most controversial and fiercely debated films in South American cinematic history. Directed by the acclaimed auteur Walter Hugo Khouri , the film features a star-studded cast including Vera Fischer, Tarcísio Meira, and Xuxa Meneghel . While it earned critical accolades upon its release—including a Best Actress award for Fischer at the Festival de Brasília—it subsequently spent decades buried in legal battles and censorship. The controversy stemmed primarily from its taboo themes and an explicit scene involving an adult character and an underage boy, which later threatened the career of Xuxa, Brazil's premier children's television host. Historical and Narrative Context : Amidst political unrest in Brazil, young Hugo
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Hugo arrives on the eve of a major political commemoration: the anniversary of the 1937 Estado Novo coup, when President Getúlio Vargas solidified his dictatorial powers. The house is preparing for a grand party, and the most expensive “guest” of the establishment is a stunning, ethereal young woman named Anna (Xuxa Meneghel). Anna is kept in a state of gilded isolation, reserved for the highest bidder—tonight, a powerful, unnamed politician.
In interviews (translated for English audiences), Khouri argued that Amor Estranho Amor was a metaphor for Brazil itself during the military dictatorship (1964–1985). The brothel represents the nation. The politicians (the adult Hugo) are corrupted by their first encounter with power—which Khouri equates with sex. The boy represents innocence corrupted by a decadent, authoritarian state. Marcelo Ribeiro : Plays the 12-year-old Hugo
: With the rise of the digital age, Xuxa sued major tech companies, including Google, attempting to force them to filter out search results related to the film or its explicit clips.
The film gained notoriety due to scenes of full nudity and sexual situations involving the then 11-year-old Marcelo Ribeiro and adult actresses. Most notably:
