As her first solo film,Mariana Bastosdirects and writes a story about youth, religion, controversy, and what it means to be a woman.Raquel 1:1follows the story of a religious teenager named Raquel, who moves in with her father in a small town after the tragic and violent death of her mother. Throughout the film, Raquel is haunted by those final moments with her mother as we slowly learn what exactly happened the night of her death. But at the forefront is her new life in town. She quickly befriends and becomes a part of the local church and bible group. But, when she begins to question the bible’s teachings, especially how it views women, wanting to revise it, the small Brazilian town quickly turns against her.
Valentina Herszageplays the eponymous protagonist and exudes a youthful innocence and curiosity. Her performance is one of the highlights of the film, able to capture the subtlety of a character that could easily go off the rails the further she is sucked in by her religious devotion. The friends she meets in the bible group are as devoted as she is, though few are as open-minded. When she butts heads with the head mean girl Ana Helena (Priscila Bittencourt), it’s obviously over more than just the words of the bible. The body language of a mean girl is universal and Bittencourt leans heavily into it. At her side and championing her toxicity is her mother, Elisa (Lianna Matheus), who might have some history with Raquel’s father (it’s never explicitly stated, but she knows more than the other people in town).
Raquel’s staunchest ally is Laura (Eduarda Samara), a girl who not only sticks with Raquel after she voices her concerns about the bible but also helps her when she begins to revise a more feminist version of the text. Although it is never fully explored, there is definitely a romantic subtext to the relationship between Laura and Raquel. Another filmmaker might have more fully explored the triangle of friendship between Laura, Raquel, and Ana Helena, as Ana Helena doesn’t truly begin to rear her ugly head until Laura leaves her side. But, the film leans further into the unexplained and even the supernatural as it reaches its climax.
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Threatened and concerned about this new “revisionist” bible, the town gathers its pitchforks and turns on the girls, calling them a satanic cult. It’s a nice reminder of just how brainwashed a group can get under the banner of organized religion. Not saying it’s all religion, but the people sure rounded up the wagons pretty quickly. There are talks of exorcisms, unveiled threats of physical violence, and she occasionally returns to her house being broken into and ransacked. With seemingly everyone exiling her, it becomes unclear what can be a safe resolution for Raquel.
As the film approached its final act, the story loses some of its steam. By this point in the film, Elisa and Ana Helena are less threatening than they are annoying, mustache-twirling villains. The film forgoes the nuance it so delicately crafted for the overt and heavy-handed. Herszage’s entrancing performance offers promising talent and the story of young women in a conservative and patriarchal town wanting to reform the bible from the perspective of a woman is exciting. It feels like Bastos wasn’t sure how exactly to end the story with all that she set up and instead of opting for lowkey she turned the dial up to 100. In scenes reminiscent ofCarrie, the final moments ofRaquel 1:1ultimately disappoint. But, it is not so bad that it ruins the thoughtful story that hints at the promise of greatness but never truly delivers.
