Diamantino, written and directed by Daniel Schmidt and Gabriel Abrantes is a wonderfully bizarre Portugal film where at the center lies an incredible warm-hearted sweetness.
The title character, played by Carlota Cotta, is a soccer player (clearly inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo), who is responsible for a cultural disappointment after missing a penalty kick during the final moments of a World Cup championship game. Diamantino decides to make good for himself by adopting a refugee. Unbeknownst to him, the adopted refugee is actually a lesbian secret service agent who is investigating him for money laundering. Diamantino's problems worsen once his money obsessed siblings decide to hand him off to a mad scientist with plans to clone his genetics for a government plot to strengthen Portugal's power within the EU. The under the radar queerness is almost undermined with the muddy sexual dynamics of the narrative. The film veers into the dangerous old school notion that male charm is irresistible, even for a lesbian. A notion that hopefully contemporary audiences have enough sense not to buy into as an argument for sexual preferences instead of orientation.
Additionally, the lesbian/secret service/refugee character Aisha, who is pretending to be a young boy and calls Diamantino ‘daddy' while watching the character development between the two becoming more intimate had me absolutely squirming in my seat with its implications. The redemption of the film is the compassionate message about finding acceptance and love, even if gender bending, genetically modified breasts are involved. 🎬🎬🎬 (3 out of 4)
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