At this point, filmmaker Beth de Araújo is two for two. Not just in terms of the quality of her films — impeccably crafted fever dreams of very different stripes and horrifyingly similar themes — but in how these films make the viewer feel.
More concisely: with her “Soft & Quiet” and “Josephine,” de Araújo remains undefeated when it comes to making stunning films that I will both heartily recommend and never, ever watch again.
The word that comes to mind when watching a de Araújo feature is heartsick. That applies to the feeling bestowed on both the audience and her characters (the good guys and the bad guys). While her first film, the unrelenting “Soft…