Maria tries to be a boy and do the traditional, macho, boy things, but it doesn’t feel right. She is deeply religious even being an altar boy as a way to be closer to God, and trying to help with the gender confusion. In the end, it will take a new neighbor for Maria, to be unapologetically Maria. Brazil is well known as a religious and conservative country making it a fitting backdrop for Advent of Mary with its main character struggling against both the church and community. The story may be familiar, but not the intensity and vigor in this film.