THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO
Special Features: Special Presentation
[LA MISTERIOSA MIRADA DEL FLAMENCO]
Queer love, in all its capacities, shines with contradictory exuberance at the dawn of the AIDS epidemic in Diego Céspedes’ audacious debut. Melding elements of melodrama and western with a contemporary twist, the film is set in a reimagined desert town in 1980s Chile where 11-year-old Lidia is raised by pageant star Flamingo (played by a charismatic Matías Catalán) in a commune of crossdressers led by the fierce Mama Boa (Paula Dinamarca). Routine drag festivities in the cantina are halted by the sudden reappearance of Flamingo’s past lover, a mysterious miner named Yovani, as rumors of an unknown plague begin to spiral into acts of petty bullying and fearful superstitions. In the midst of growing stigma and affliction, the act of telling this history is transgressive in Céspedes’ curious, sprawling tableaus. Here, motherhood is a transvestite and family is a limitless possibility. Engaged with the fervent gaze of New Queer Cinema and embodied by a vibrant trans and genderqueer ensemble cast, THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO, which won the Un Certain Regard Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, is a spectacular discovery not to be missed. (Note courtesy of AFI FEST.)
Official Selection, 2025 Toronto and San Sebastián film festivals. DIR/SCR Diego Céspedes; PROD Giancarlo Nasi, Justin Pechberty. Chile/Germany/France/Belgium/Spain, 2025, color, 104 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 104 Minutes
Opening Date: Wednesday, October 08, 2025
Genre: Drama