Tormenta: A weirdly cozy movie about cleaning and rain

Is it worth your time?

If you like movies that feel like a rainy Sunday where you don't have to do anything, then yes.

You will probably hate this if you need things to happen every five minutes. It is a slow, quiet movie from Arthur Serra that mostly takes place inside one dusty house.

I think people who like old-school melodrama or just watching people fix things will find it sweet. If you want an action movie, please go watch something else entirely.

The setup

So, we have Lúcia. The description calls her 'fluffy,' which is such a funny way to describe a person.

She gets caught in the rain and ends up at this house owned by a guy who is a 'besieger.' I am still not 100% sure what he is besieging, but he looks like he hasn't had a good meal or a hug in a decade.

Severino Peixoto plays him with this heavy, slumped-over energy. He is just sad.

Most people would probably just wait for the rain to stop and run away. Not Lúcia.

She decides this guy’s life is her new project. She starts cleaning. Like, really cleaning.

The vibe

What’s hilarious is that she keeps her 'city-like outfit' on the whole time. You see her scrubbing floors and moving furniture while looking like she’s about to go to a high-end cafe.

It reminded me a little bit of the house-building chaos in One Week, but way less funny and much more moody. There is a lot of dust in this movie. You can almost smell it through the screen.

The lighting is actually pretty good for a movie this small. The way the rain streaks against the windows makes the house feel like a little island.

There is a scene where she finds an old vase and spends about two minutes just looking at it. Two minutes. I think I checked my phone during that part, but then I felt bad because the shot was actually kind of pretty.

Small things I noticed

There is a recurring sound of a dripping tap that is louder than the actual dialogue sometimes. It is a bit annoying, but maybe it was supposed to show how broken the house was?

Waldy Braga is in this too, but he doesn't have much to do. Most of the heavy lifting is done by Lúcia’s actress, Alda Rios.

She has this way of looking at the mess like it’s a personal insult. I wish I had half her motivation to clean my own apartment.

The romance feels a bit rushed, though. One minute she is dusting a shelf, and the next, they are looking at each other like they’ve been married for fifty years.

It’s a bit dramatic, but that’s what these movies are for, right?

Final thoughts

The house itself starts to look better by the end, which is satisfying. It is like one of those 'before and after' home renovation shows but with more staring and rain.

It’s not a masterpiece, and it’s definitely not going to change your life. But it’s a nice way to spend an hour if you want to see a 'fluffy' girl turn a sad man’s house into a home.

I’ve seen weirder stuff, like The House of Whispers, which has a similar 'trapped in a house' feeling but with way more ghosts and way less cleaning supplies.

Overall, it’s just fine. It’s a mood. Take it or leave it. ☔