The Book of Delights

Set in vibrant Rio, this gripping character study portrays an emotional, intelligent, freedom-loving woman with some baggage: Lóri. She is a teacher who impulsively brings both men and women into her life, but she is still searching.

Lóri has the talent to transform the so-called ordinary world into something extraordinary, for example when she meets a friendly philosophy professor, Ulisses. His name seems to be on everyone’s lips, but his reputation turns out to be somewhat ambiguous. Lóri wants him tobe her beacon of light, but in the end she realises that she must be honest with herself. This thought comes with the realisation that she has a body of her own, a body being watched, a soul of her own, a soul longing to betouched by another.

The mood of the film manages to unveil a young woman’s insecurities in a way seldomly seen before. The entire film is a quest for insight into her wounds. Lóri’s environment consists of a recently deceased mother figure, overly protective brothers and father and only one rather selfish friend. She inherits a spacious apartment at the seaside, where she simultaneously gets lost and feels claustrophobic.

This film is a true gem, not only because of the rock-solid acting performances, but also because of the script’s tangible, touching psychology. Add to that the visual richness, and the result is a lush, fascinating film lookingfor a cure for the void and absurdity of existence. ‘I am so mysterious I do not even understand myself,’ Clarice Lispector once wrote in a column. The endearing main character of ‘The Book of Delights’ follows the same lines.