Rotterdam 2026 Review: Bowels of Hell Is a Relentless Descent Into Grief, Grime, and Gore

Brazilian body horror Bowels of Hell plunges grief and generational conflict into a nightmarish, sewage-soaked surrealism.

Rotterdam 2026 Review: Bowels of Hell

Brazilian surreal horror Bowels of Hell arrives at the Rotterdam International Film Festival as an unapologetically filthy, confrontational genre piece that leans hard into bodily disgust while attempting to wrestle with grief, generational conflict and identity. Written and directed by Gurcius Gewdner and Gustavo Vinagre, the film operates as both a gore-soaked nightmare and a metaphor-heavy pressure cooker — sometimes successfully, sometimes less so.

The story centers on a mother reeling from the traumatic loss of a child, an event that fractures her already strained household. As she struggles to move forward professionally as a party planner, her personal life begins to collapse inward. Her relationship with her surviving non-binary child remains tense and unresolved, rooted in clashing worldviews and mutual resentment. At the same time, the building she lives in becomes a site of escalating supernatural disturbance, with plumbing, sewage and domestic spaces transforming into sources of dread.

From the outset, Bowels of Hell makes its intentions clear. This is not a restrained horror film. It is aggressively tactile, saturated with imagery of waste, decay and bodily excess. Toilets, pipes and stagnant water become recurring symbols, creating an atmosphere of claustrophobia and contamination. The film revels in grime, leaning into shock value without apology. For genre fans who appreciate extreme body horror and transgressive visuals, this commitment will likely be the film’s main draw.

Where the film becomes more complicated is in its thematic ambition. Alongside its grotesque horror framework, Bowels of Hell attempts to engage with conversations around gender identity, generational misunderstanding and emotional repression. The dynamic between mother and child is positioned as a central emotional fault line, reflecting broader societal tensions. While these themes are relevant and potentially powerful, their execution can feel uneven. At times, the commentary risks feeling underdeveloped or familiar, especially as the film prioritizes spectacle over deeper character exploration.

Structurally, the film maintains a steady pace and a clear sense of escalation. Once its core ideas are established, however, it largely commits to riding that wave rather than evolving it. The result is a viewing experience that remains engaging on a visceral level but struggles to sustain momentum beyond its initial impact.

Performances across the board are solid, anchoring the film’s more outrageous elements in emotional reality. The cast navigates the film’s tonal extremes with conviction, helping ground the chaos even when the narrative becomes increasingly abstract.

Ultimately, Bowels of Hell is a messy film by design — both in content and construction. It succeeds as a visceral gore showcase and an exercise in sensory overload, but its broader ambitions do not always cohere into something fully satisfying. For audiences seeking extreme horror with surreal flourishes, it delivers exactly what it promises. For those looking for a more nuanced fusion of social commentary and genre storytelling, it may leave something to be desired.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Bowels of Hell screened at the Rotterdam International Film Festival.