Diamantino

A bold satire on populism, gender fluidity and the search for perfection, with genetic trafficking and the EU migrant crisis looming large, this visual frenzy of candyfloss camp and surreal absurdity can be viewed as either an annoyingly wacky trifle or a potent political fable. An outstanding footballer (ridiculously handsome Carloto Cotta), whose pitch talents lie in his ability to turn off distraction by imagining giant puppies skidding through sparkly pink foam, is nurtured by his two money-grabbing sisters, hunted by a pair of female spies and targeted by neo-fascists wanting to clone him. Directors Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt overstuff their loopy soccer Zoolander, by way of early Pedro Almodóvar, with outrageous sci-fi whimsy and fairy-tale fantasy often to detrimental effect. But through it all, Cotta as the dimwit Cristiano Ronaldo replica remains an endearingly innocent force of nature even if the movie often reflects his deliberate empty-headedness.