Angela (Lilian Lemmertz) goes with her husband Paulo (Mario Benvenuti) to a country house. Angela wants to rest and find some peace of mind – she is mentally unstable
fear, anguish and melancholia. The country house belongs to Ana (Kate Hansen), Angela's psychiatrist. Ana has lent it to Angela – a closer contact with nature may help to soothe her nerves.
The country house and the nature that surrounds it are gorgeous: peaceful woods of pine trees, a river
a natural swimming pool formed by rocks, the lake
.. But Angela doesn't get any better. The wind blowing around the trees, the branches shaking, the tree crowns looking downward, seem to be a portent of
A great fear falls on her.
Ana must be called. Ana is young, beautiful, seeming at first glance detached and sure of herself.
So we have Ana, that apparently looks strong, Angela, that on the surface looks weak and dependent. As to Paulo, he seems to be the player in "As Deusas" (The Goddesses), but, in reality, he's the flute, playing to the women's desires.
Ana is not really so self-assured, she is sensitive and fragile - she looks like one of those shy rabbits that we see jumping around during the night. As to Angela, as she slowly recovers, she looks more and more like a wily fox (?). And Paulo follows the call of the wild.
"As Deusas" is a very beautiful film – Nature and women mix effortlessly. Ana and Angela bathe naked in the natural swimming pool, the high pine trees give them strength, whisper them secrets. Goddesses? Witches? And Duprat's soundtrack is perfectly matched to the film. It helps to enhance the strange beauty and the eerie feel of Khouri's images.
Nature is the source of our deepest fears and desires. And when women give themselves to Nature, this may lead to anguish and fear. Nature versus Civilization?
"As Deusas" is not a film for everyone. People that like easy-to-understand action-packed films (bullets & blood, jokes & laughter etc
), should stay away from "As Deusas". But those with a bigger attention span may discover a rich and beautiful film.
