Excellent, Without a doubt!!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The first must-see film of the year.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Very well-written film with an fairly unexpected end, I never thought Rosa would go this far. Overall, a must watch for indie film lovers...

When the girl Clara (Isabelle Ribas) is kidnapped from the daycare, her mother Sylvia (Fabiula Nascimento) goes to the police station to report the missing child. The chief inspector interrogates Sylvia and learns that her husband Bernardo (Milhem Cortaz) is an enforcer in a bus company. The low-middle class couple does not have any possessions; therefore they do not believe their daughter has been abducted for money. Then he interrogates the owner of the daycare that explains that she received a phone call from Sylvia telling to deliver Clara to a neighbor that the girl knew very well. When Bernardo arrives, he accuses the twenty-two year-old Rosa (Leandra Leal) of kidnapping his daughter. He discloses to the Chief Inspector that Rosa and he had had a love affair and the police detectives bring Rosa to the station to be interrogated and she tells that a woman forced her to kidnap the girl. As long as the interrogation goes on, it is disclosed a dark story of betrayal, jealousy and revenge. "O Lobo Atrás da Porta", a.k.a. "A Wolf at the Door", is a dark and cruel but realistic tale of betrayal, jealousy, unrequited love and revenge. We are living right in this moment in Rio de Janeiro an investigation where a pregnant pharmacist was found totally burned and almost impossible to be identified. "O Lobo Atrás da Porta" is basically supported by a believable story, excellent screenplay that keeps the attention of the viewers until the last scene and magnificent direction and performance. It is indeed a remarkable Brazilian film. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "O Lobo Atrás da Porta" ("The Wolf Behind the Door")

O Lobo atrás da Porta (A Wolf at the Door) got 2 stars out of 5 from in a Dutch newspaper. I went anyway and was not disappointed. As a matter of fact the Brazilian movie, directed by Fernando Coimbra, kept me engaged for the full 100 minutes.The main critique of the newspaper was that the characters should be more fleshed out: the psychological effects of being a mistress, a mother who may loose her child or a man on the verge of being exposed as an adulterer, should have been more explored.But I disagree.This movie is a crime thriller, and as the plot unfolds, we understand a lot of the underlying psychology.The scenario, the camera-work and the acting are all great. The story opens with a mother (Sylvia, played by Fabiula Nascimento) arriving to pick up her daughter at school, only to learn that the girl has already left with another woman. Soon it becomes clear that the Sylvia's husband Bernardo (Milhem Cortaz) has a lover, Rosa (Leandra Leal), who might be involved in the kidnapping in one way or another.Central in this movie are the interviews by the agile inspector (Antonio Saboia). We see the stories as told by the interrogated people in a flashback.First the stories are embellished. The husband tries to mitigate his adultery by saying something like "having a mistress is typically a man's thing, you know what I mean?" (to which the police officer briskly answers "no"). Bernardo also claims he was honest about his marriage to Rosa right from the start, but from Rosa's story it becomes clear he was not.Step by step we learn about the characters, the relationships, what really happened and why.

Now, Fernando Coimbra knows how to make a film. This may be his very first feature length movie but it's shot, edited and acted to perfection. The plots does have some minor difficulties, but as a rule this tale of raw emotions and revenge works as if told by a veteran of the trade. The three leads are very good, especially so is Leandra Leal as Rosa, handling her role like one of the very best. The story might not be an original, but very few real original stories are still available for the picking. Hollywood has given up on originality long ago. If there's any originality to be found it's in the way stories are being told. Well Coimbra passes this test with flying colors. And considering the story he's telling he also does it without any excess, not using any gratuitous violence or any unwarranted emotional manipulation. All that while still maintaining suspense and characters development. It's a very good bottom line for any film, all the more when it's a feature length first. Fernando Coimbra is definitely a director to follow.