Annual Top Films Lists

Top 100 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2018: #46. Gabriel Mascaro’s Overgod

Published on January 3, 2018

Overgod

Brazil’s Gabriel Mascaro broke into international success with his provocative sophomore film Neon Bull (read review) in 2015, where it won a Special Jury Prize out of the Horizons sidebar in Venice and an Honorable Mention out of Toronto’s first Platform competition (the year prior, Mascaro competed in Locarno with August Winds, 2014). His latest project, Overgod, centers on Morgana, a devout Evangelical Christian who helps struggling couples by inviting them to a religious swingers club. Described as an erotic gospel film, strange delights await when Morgana assumes the baby she is carrying may be the new messiah.

Release Date/Prediction: Casting for Mascaro’s latest was revealed in August with Julio Machado of Joaquim and Hard Labor playing the male lead opposite Dira Paes. Although the project is still listed as being in development, it seems Overgod is aiming for release in 2018. Mascaro could repeat a Locarno berth potentially, but the attention Neon Bull received may have producers vying for a Venice slot.

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.