Christabel

Deep in the vast tropical savannah of Brazil’s Cerrado region, Christabel, the only daughter of a rural farmer, finds a woman late one night in the forest who says she’s been attacked by men. Christabel offers her shelter in the home she shares with her father. Enthralled by the mysterious Geraldine’s independent spirit, the tenderhearted Christabel soon finds herself falling under the older woman’s sultry spell. Geraldine claims to be the daughter of one of Christabel’s father’s sworn enemies and urges him to journey to meet her father and reconcile. Once alone, the seductive tension between the two women builds to a passionate encounter that Christabel has secretly desired, but Geraldine’s motives may be less than pure. This moody, erotic film, a sensual melding of gothic romance and the supernatural, was inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s legendary poem. (Chicago Reeling Film Fest)