New Movies: Night Stage (Ato Noturno) (2024) by Filipe Matzembacher & Marcio Reolon: Performance, Desire, and Dangerous Liaisons

Core Summary: A Public Affair Turns Perilous

Night Stage (original Portuguese title: Ato Noturno) (2024) is a Brazilian erotic thriller co-directed and co-written by Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon. The film centers on Matias (Gabriel Faryas), an ambitious theater actor, and Rafael (Cirillo Luna), a politician on the cusp of a mayoral election. Their secret affair, fueled by a shared fetish for having sex in public places, spirals into a dangerous game as their professional aspirations clash with their escalating desires for risk and discovery. The film explores themes of duality, performance, and the suppression of desire in a society obsessed with public image.

Summary Short: Political Ambition, Public Peril

Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon's Night Stage is a 2024 Brazilian erotic thriller where a rising actor and a mayoral candidate's clandestine affair, driven by public sex, spirals into a dangerous clash between their secret desires and public personas.

Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt35050890/

Link Review: https://icsfilm.org/festivals/berlin/2025-berlin/berlinale-2025-review-night-stage-marcio-reolon-filipe-matzembacher/

About movie: https://m-appeal.com/catalogue/night-stage

Link to watch: (industry professionals): https://pro.festivalscope.com/film/night-stage

Detailed Summary: The Price of a Double Life

Night Stage weaves a taut and atmospheric narrative around its two central characters, exploring the complexities of identity, desire, and societal pressure.

• The Protagonists:

  • Matias (Gabriel Faryas): A young, ambitious actor starring in a dance-led play. He embodies artistic expression and a more fluid presentation of masculinity.

  • Rafael (Cirillo Luna): A politician with a squeaky-clean public image, campaigning to become the new mayor. He performs authority and adheres to societal expectations.

• The Secret Affair: The two men meet on a dating app and quickly develop a torrid, clandestine affair. Their connection is intensified by their shared fetish for having sex in public places—a dangerous thrill that contrasts sharply with their public lives.

• Escalating Risks: As both Matias and Rafael strive for professional success – Matias for a prominent acting career and Rafael for political office – their desire for risky public encounters intensifies. This escalates the stakes, making every tryst a potential career-ending exposure.

• Themes of Performance and Duality: The film deeply explores the concept of "performance" in various forms: Matias's acting on stage, Rafael's performance as a politician, and both men's "performance" of different lives in public versus their private desires. They live double lives, where their authentic selves clash with societal expectations and career demands.

• Erotic Thriller Elements: Drawing inspiration from classic erotic thrillers (e.g., De Palma, Hitchcock, Verhoeven), the film features steamy, risky situations and a noir-esque atmosphere. The tension doesn't just come from the fear of being caught, but also from the shifting power dynamics and the dangerous games they play.

• Queer Desire and Societal Pressure: Night Stage reinterprets the erotic thriller genre through a modern queer lens. It critiques how patriarchal society and professional pressures suppress primal sexual impulses and queer desire. The film argues that the real danger isn't simply being gay, but the denial of one's own sexuality and the pressure to conform, particularly for those in the public eye.

• Socio-Political Backdrop: Subtle hints within the film, such as references to poor local political management and its real-world consequences (e.g., flooded streets in Porto Alegre, where it was filmed), tie the personal drama to a broader socio-political context.

Night Stage is described as a "sexy queer drama" that is "hot, messy, and deliciously unhinged," successfully reinterpreting the erotic thriller genre with thematic intelligence and a modern perspective on gay desire and danger.

Director's Vision: Matzembacher & Reolon's Examination of Public vs. Private Selves

Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon's vision for Night Stage is deeply rooted in their fascination with performance and the duality of human existence.

• Double Personas: They conceived the film with the idea of characters who must "perform different lives" – a public persona to achieve professional success and a private self with desires that inherently clash with that public image.

• Performance as a Unifying Theme: For the directors (who are also actors), all core elements of the film – the political plot, the public sex fetish, and the dance elements – are seen as "expressions of performance," different manifestations of this central idea.

• Critique of Societal Repression: They aim to critique how societal expectations, particularly in patriarchal and capitalist systems, force individuals to suppress their authentic desires and identities. The film is designed to show that the real danger isn't sexuality itself, but the denial of it and the oppressive forces that demand conformity.

• Reinterpreting Erotic Thriller: Their vision involves reinterpreting the erotic thriller genre through a modern queer lens, moving beyond outdated fears to explore a "new, more complex landscape for gay desire and danger."

• Cinematic Staging: They actively sought to make cruising areas and public spaces feel "cinematic," creating a sense of "theatre" or a "stage" within these real-world settings.

• Subtle Nuances: They aim for subtle moments that will particularly resonate with modern queer audiences, indicating an intimate understanding of the community and its complexities.

Themes: Duality, Performance, Exhibitionism, Repressed Desire, Societal Pressure, Power Dynamics, Queer Identity

• Duality / Public vs. Private Selves: The central conflict stems from the characters' struggle to maintain a respectable public image while indulging their hidden, "risky" desires.

• Performance: Explored literally (Matias's acting) and metaphorically (Rafael's political facade, their sex acts as a form of exhibitionism).

• Exhibitionism and Voyeurism: The fetish for public sex drives the plot and examines the thrill of being seen versus the fear of exposure.

• Repressed Desires and Liberation: The film delves into the consequences of suppressing one's true sexual impulses and the moments of liberation (and danger) when these desires are indulged.

• Societal Pressure and Conformity: A critique of how professional ambitions and patriarchal norms force individuals, particularly queer individuals, to deny aspects of their identity.

• Power Dynamics: The shifting power dynamics between Matias and Rafael, both in their relationship and their societal roles, are a key element of the thriller aspect.

• Queer Identity and Acceptance: The film offers a contemporary look at gay desire and the challenges of living authentically in a world that still demands certain "performances" of masculinity and respectability.

Key Success Factors: Bold Subject Matter and Festival Acclaim

• Provocative & Timely Subject: The film's exploration of secret desires, public sex, and the pressures on public figures, especially within a queer context, is highly provocative and relevant.

• Strong Director Duo: Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon have a track record of acclaimed films (e.g., Hard), establishing them as significant voices in Brazilian and international queer cinema.

• Erotic Thriller Revival: The film taps into a renewed interest in the erotic thriller genre, reinterpreting it for a contemporary audience with a modern queer sensibility.

• Berlinale Premiere: Its selection for the Panorama section of the Berlinale 2025 is a major artistic endorsement, signaling its quality and securing international attention.

• Strong Performances: Gabriel Faryas and Cirillo Luna reportedly deliver compelling performances in their complex roles.

• Visually Striking Cinematography: Luciana Baseggio's cinematography is praised for capturing both the characters' intimacy and the "stage-like" public settings.

Summary Short: A Concise Takeaway

Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon's Night Stage (2024) is a bold Brazilian erotic thriller where a secret gay affair involving public sex pits an actor and a politician against their public personas, dissecting desire, performance, and societal repression, premiering at Berlinale 2025.

Awards & Nominations: A Festival Circuit Standout

Night Stage has already garnered significant attention and prestigious nominations on the international film festival circuit, affirming its artistic merit and impact.

Key awards and nominations include:

• 75th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) (2025):

  • World Premiere in the Panorama section (February 14, 2025).

  • Nominated for the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film. (The Teddy Award recognizes films with LGBTQIA+ themes).

• 39th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival (2025):

  • Closing Night Gala (March 29, 2025). This is a highly prestigious slot, indicating the film's significance within queer cinema.

• Barcelona FIRE!! LGBTI FF (2025):

  • Winner of the Audience Award for Best Long-Feature Film.

The directors, Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, are no strangers to festival success, with their previous film Hard Paint (2018) also winning the Teddy Award for Best Film at the Berlinale. This track record further solidifies Night Stage's position as a significant queer film.

Critics' Reception: A Provocative and Insightful Erotic Thriller

Critics have largely praised Night Stage as a bold, sexy, and intellectually stimulating erotic thriller that masterfully explores the complexities of desire, ambition, and societal pressures on queer individuals.

• Screen Daily (Allan Hunter): Describes it as a "sexy queer drama with thematic smarts to match," noting how it explores "how queer people often only feel able to be authentically themselves if they don't live in the public eye." Hunter praises the film's pacing and the "easy rapport" between Gabriel Faryas and Cirillo Luna. While acknowledging the screenplay can be "a bit schematic," it's ultimately seen as a "satisfying, watchable audience-pleaser" with interest beyond the usual queer film festivals.

• International Cinephile Society (ICSfilm.org): Calls it a "vibrant, compelling exploration of the concept of desire," highlighting how the directors "push boundaries in a way that challenges the status quo both creatively and in terms of the underlying conversations." The review applauds the "brilliant" and "wholehearted" performances of Gabriel Faryas and Cirillo Luna, noting how the film explores the "almost visceral craving for satisfaction."

• Film-Fest-Report.com: Commends the directors for their "daring choices" and "unapologetic filmmaking" in an erotic thriller that "re-appropriates all imagery of sexuality and desire that were hidden even in the LGBTQIA+ movies." It praises the "hypnotic dance sequences," "intoxicating chemistry," and "sheer beauty of its imagery," though one critic noted it "lacks the weight to leave a lasting impression."

• Loud And Clear Reviews: Characterizes Night Stage as a "sharp, hilarious and fascinating analysis of everything wrong with romance today," praising its "daring and unapologetic filmmaking." They commend the directors for their visual style, using "shadowy night scenes to try and veer the story into erotic thriller territory." However, this review also points out that the "more 'thriller' elements come into the picture, the further they push what was working in favor of the film away from it until it's hidden completely," leading to an "underwhelming climax."

• Purple Hour: Finds much to admire, including the "hypnotic dance sequences," "intoxicating chemistry," and "sheer beauty of its imagery." This review also highlights the film's orchestral scoring as "melodramatic" but ultimately serving the narrative's tension. It notes the film "boasts a much riskier premise than it ultimately follows through with."

Overall, critics are largely impressed by Night Stage's audacious premise and its willingness to delve into complex themes of queer identity, ambition, and desire with a raw, erotic energy. The lead performances and the film's visual style are consistently praised. While some critics note that the "thriller" elements might not always fully coalesce with the more intimate drama, the film is widely recognized as a provocative and insightful addition to contemporary queer cinema.

Reviews: A Hot and Thought-Provoking Ride for Audiences

Audiences have reacted strongly to Night Stage, particularly those who appreciate challenging LGBTQIA+ cinema and erotic thrillers. The film's blend of desire, ambition, and danger has proven to be a compelling watch.

• "Hot, Messy, and Deliciously Unhinged": Many viewers are captivated by the film's explicit and unapologetic exploration of sexuality, particularly the fetish for public sex. This raw, unfiltered approach to queer eroticism is a major draw for audiences looking for daring and authentic portrayals.

• Relatable Themes of Identity and Societal Pressure: Audiences connect with the film's examination of the dual lives many queer individuals feel they must lead to achieve success, especially in public-facing careers. The tension between authentic self and societal expectations resonates deeply, making the characters' struggles relatable despite the extreme circumstances.

• Engaging Performances and Chemistry: The "electrifying chemistry" between Gabriel Faryas and Cirillo Luna is frequently highlighted. Audiences find their performances compelling, effectively conveying both the passionate intensity of their affair and the vulnerability beneath their ambitious exteriors.

• Unpredictable and Taut Storytelling: The film's blend of eroticism, drama, and thriller elements keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. Viewers appreciate the "largely unpredictable plot" and the sense of "danger lurking at every corner."

• Visuals and Atmosphere: The film's "gorgeous gentle vibrancy to the colors of the night" and "strikingly shot sex scenes" contribute significantly to the audience experience, immersing them in the nocturnal world of the protagonists. The use of dance sequences also adds to the film's unique aesthetic.

• Sparks Discussion: The film's provocative nature and its exploration of power dynamics, ambition, and the price of desire generate considerable discussion among viewers, making it a memorable and talked-about film.

Overall, Night Stage is widely embraced by audiences as a bold, sexy, and intellectually engaging film. It offers a fresh and unvarnished look at queer desire and the challenges of identity in the public eye, cementing its place as a significant and celebrated entry in modern queer cinema.

Box Office: Indie Success, Festival, and Niche Theatrical Release

As an independent Brazilian film, Night Stage is not expected to achieve blockbuster box office numbers. Its success will be primarily measured by:

• Festival Exposure: Its Berlinale premiere significantly raises its profile, leading to further festival selections and international sales.

• Arthouse Distribution: It will likely receive limited theatrical releases in select markets, particularly in arthouse cinemas and LGBTQ+-focused film circuits.

• Digital/Streaming Performance: Its long-term commercial success will rely on its eventual availability on VOD and streaming platforms.

No specific box office figures are publicly available at this time, as is common for independent films of this nature before their broader release.

Production Summary: Brazilian Erotic Thriller

Night Stage (original title: Ato Noturno) (2024) is a Brazilian erotic thriller film directed by Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The film has a runtime of 105 minutes. The main cast includes Gabriel Faryas as Matias and Cirillo Luna as Rafael. Other cast members include Henrique Barreira (Fabio), Ivo Müller (Camilo), and Kaya Rodrigues (Pâmela Almeida). Filming took place in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Key crew includes Luciana Baseggio (Cinematography) and Márcio Reolon (Editing). The film incorporates elements of dance and aims for a moody, noir-inspired aesthetic.

Production Companies: Prominent Brazilian Indies

Night Stage is primarily a Brazilian production:

• Avante Filmes: A key Brazilian production company involved.

• Vulcana Cinema: Another significant Brazilian production house.

Sales Companies: M-Appeal

International sales for Night Stage are handled by M-Appeal, a Berlin-based sales agent specializing in high-quality independent and art-house films, particularly those with strong LGBTQ+ themes. M-Appeal presented the film at the European Film Market (EFM) during Berlinale 2025.

Release Date on Streaming: Expected Late 2025 / Early 2026

As Night Stage had its world premiere at Berlinale in early 2025, a global streaming release date is not yet confirmed. Following its festival run and any potential limited theatrical releases, it is likely to become available on VOD or major streaming platforms in late 2025 or early 2026.

Theatrical Release: Berlinale World Premiere

Night Stage had its World Premiere as part of the Panorama program at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in February 2025. This serves as its primary theatrical debut on the international stage. Subsequent theatrical releases in Brazil and other territories will depend on distribution deals.

Why to Recommend this Movie: For Bold Queer Thrillers with Social Bite

• Intelligent Erotic Thriller: Recommend this film to viewers seeking a smart, sexy, and provocative thriller that doesn't shy away from complex themes.

• Contemporary Queer Cinema: It's an excellent choice for audiences interested in bold and authentic queer storytelling that explores identity, desire, and societal pressures in a nuanced way.

• Strong Direction & Performances: Ideal for those who appreciate auteur cinema from acclaimed directors and compelling performances from a talented cast.

• Festival-Acclaimed Cinema: For cinephiles who follow major international film festivals and seek out critically praised films from around the globe.

Why to Watch Movie: To Witness a Daring Exploration of Desire and Deceit

• Engaging and Tense Narrative: Watch to experience a taut, thrilling ride that keeps you on edge as the characters' dangerous game unfolds.

• Deep Dive into Identity: The film offers a fascinating exploration of public versus private selves, and the price people pay to maintain a facade.

• Unique Erotic Elements: If you're interested in erotic thrillers that push boundaries and offer a fresh perspective on sexuality and power dynamics.

• Witness Powerful Cinema: Experience a film that is both visually striking and intellectually stimulating, offering a critique of societal norms.

Movie Trend: Queer New Wave and Erotic Thriller Revival

Night Stage aligns with the ongoing "Queer New Wave" in cinema, where LGBTQ+ stories are told with increasing complexity, boldness, and artistic freedom, often incorporating genre elements. It also contributes to a growing revival of the erotic thriller genre, reimagining its tropes for contemporary audiences with a focus on psychological depth and social commentary rather than just shock value.

Big Social Trend: Authenticity vs. Public Image in the Digital Age

The film taps into the major social trend of the tension between authenticity and curated public image, especially prevalent in the age of social media and heightened political scrutiny. It reflects the immense pressure on individuals, particularly those in public life, to maintain a flawless facade, often at the cost of their true selves and desires. The exploration of hidden lives resonates with a widespread societal concern about privacy and the performance of identity.

Final Conclusions: Beyond the Screen, A Lasting Impact: Overall Impression and Impact: A Potent, Incisive, and Unforgettable Thriller

Night Stage is a potent, incisive, and unforgettable erotic thriller that bravely dissects the complex interplay between public ambition and private desire. Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon deliver a visually striking and thematically rich film that pushes boundaries while offering a profound commentary on queer identity and societal pressures. It is poised to leave a lasting impression as a compelling and important work in contemporary queer cinema.

Recommendations for Film Makers: Embrace Risk, Fuse Genre and Social Commentary: Lessons from "Night Stage"

• Don't Shy Away from Taboo: Filmmakers should learn from Night Stage's courage to tackle provocative or "taboo" subject matter (like public sex and queer identity in politics) to create compelling and relevant cinema.

• Fuse Genre with Social Commentary: The film demonstrates how a genre (erotic thriller) can be effectively used as a vehicle for sharp social and political commentary, making the film both entertaining and thought-provoking.

• Prioritize Performance and Duality: Explore stories where characters embody multiple, conflicting personas, as this provides rich ground for dramatic tension and psychological depth.

• Utilize Setting as a "Stage": Consider how everyday or specific locations can be framed and utilized to enhance thematic elements, transforming them into symbolic "stages" for human drama.

Recommendations for Movie Industry: Invest in Diverse Queer Stories, Support Genre Reinvention: Insights from This Production

• Champion Diverse Queer Narratives: The industry should continue to invest in and actively promote queer stories that are complex, challenging, and expand beyond traditional coming-out narratives, exploring the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ experiences.

• Support Genre Reinvention: Recognize and back filmmakers who are reinventing or subverting established genres (like the erotic thriller) with fresh perspectives and contemporary relevance.

• Prioritize Festival-Acquired Talent: Pay close attention to films making waves at major international festivals like Berlinale, as these often highlight emerging and established talents delivering high-quality, impactful cinema.

• Embrace Films with Social Relevance: Support films that tackle significant social trends and critiques (e.g., authenticity, political hypocrisy), as these often resonate deeply with audiences and critics.

Final Verdict: Concluding Thoughts on "Night Stage": A Bold, Brainy, and Electrifying Thriller

Night Stage is a bold, brainy, and electrifying thriller that masterfully blends eroticism with sharp social commentary. Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon have crafted a compelling and visually striking film that fearlessly explores the complexities of desire, identity, and the treacherous tightrope between public perception and private truth. It is a highly recommended and significant work that will undoubtedly spark conversation.