Review: Teen girls tempt fate in the sexy Brazilian thriller ‘Kill Me Please’

“Kill Me Please,” the audacious debut film from Brazilian writer-director Anita Rocha da Silveira, is a sexy, disturbing mash-up of “Halloween” and “Heathers,” but it is its own entirely original beast — a teenage dream that’s a total nightmare.

In a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, a group of teenage girls have become obsessed with the victims of a local serial killer, searching for crime scenes around their neighborhood and poring over the dead girls’ social media profiles. Bia (Valentina Herszage), in particular, seems to get a very specific thrill from mulling the details of each grisly rape and homicide. While the killings persist, the girls explore the boundaries of their social status and sexuality.

The abstract and raucous “Kill Me Please” captures the specifically feminine obsession with murder and crime as a cathartic coping mechanism for the very real fear of harm at the hands of men. Vigilance becomes obsession, which morphs into tempting fate.

Bodies in liminal states — between life and death, adult and child — exist in a state of psychic mayhem. For these young women, their curiosity about sex is inextricably entwined with their learning about the dangers of the world. “Kill Me Please” acknowledges the dark and riotous physical energy of teen girls in this tribute to slasher films and coming-of-age comedies that proves to be a new classic from first frame to last.

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‘Kill Me Please’

In Portuguese with English subtitles

No rating

Running time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

Playing: Arena Cinelounge Sunset, Hollywood

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