A Wolf at the Door is a film written and directed by Fernando Coimbra. This is his first full length film and I look forward to seeing more from him.

This story starts with Sylvia, played by Fabiula Nascimento, going to pick up her daughter at school. She is told by the teacher that Sylvia called earlier and her neighbor has picked up her daughter. Of course Sylvia did not call and has no idea who has picked up her daughter.

Soon Sylvia’s Husband, played by Milhem Cortaz, is brought into the police station. His mistress, played by Leandra Leal is also soon brought in for questioning. From here we get a he said, she said story. Our husband tells his story and how he has left his mistress, but she did not take it well. Then we get the mistress’ story about how she didn’t know her boyfriend was married with a family and was betrayed by her boyfriend.

Which one of these two are telling the truth? Did either one have anything to do with the kidnapping? This movie is a bit of a slow burn, but it is worth the payoff in the end. This is a he said/she said with unreliable narrators and a crazy ending. The film is from Brazil, but shows a domestic life similar to anywhere in the world, showing fears and realities of mentally unstable people and of course the dark side of affairs. Is our mistress a femme fatale or is she a victim of circumstance? This film is worth watching for fans of world cinema and neo-noir.