O Alto Preço da Paixão

Richard Creena plays a successful college lecturer who falls in to an obsessive and dangerous relationship with a young prostitute played by Karen Young. Both good performances by themselves - although very hard to tell whether they are true to the real life characters or whether the star power of Creena doesn't unbalance this "based on a true story" production.

Commercial sex is often about control and manipulation, but in all games of control there has to be mutually agreed rules. This is a case where the rules are not understood or obeyed and is fair enough to both sides of the story even though the actions/reactions are not in themselves even or fair. In other words there was exploitation on both sides and the final scene doesn't change this basic fact.

Like many low budget movies it plays the "if only" card and presents the case that only a single act of chance prevent a happy-ever-after ending to the story. I can't buy this - but if watching a movie as a time passer then you might be able to accept this at face value.

My heart goes out to those effected -- not just in this story but in any like it.