FilmSnobReviews

Title: Diamantino
Rating: NR
Director: Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt
Starring: Carloto Cotta, Cleo Tavares, Anabela Moreira
Runtime: 1hr 36min

What It Is: When his father dies under strange circumstances, the famed talented and childlike soccer player goes into a slump. While in his depression, Diamantino  (Cotta) decides to take on adopting a child–something his greedy twin sisters protest and the Secret Service uses as a way into investigating him for suspicious activity by having an agent, an adult woman, pose as his son. An absurdist sci-fi comedy about futuristic ridiculousness, Diamantino and allies must find the truth before his fate becomes him.

What We Think: Going in cold, this film was a bit confusing at first due to its sort of unique tone–a self-aware and silly sci-fi drama about a dim-witted soccer player who is targeted for genetic experimentation. Despite being self-aware and allowing itself plenty of quirk through the eyes of its protagonist (ie, the giant flying fluffy puppies), it still juggles moments that feel they’re reaching for a serious sensibility, which feel absurd in themselves. I’m still not entirely sure whether or not I vouch for them, but nonetheless what I am sure of is that this is a relatively competent light comedy for how off it is. It looks good, the performances were pretty great. It’s technically very well-made. The story, while sort of flat and left me scrambling for tone in the first act, heats up and becomes interesting quickly.

Our Grade: C, Not super memorable, but not bad. I think had some really cool ideas going for it, it just wasn’t necessarily chuckle-worthy for all the visual gags. I didn’t really feel much for it, but for the time it had me, I couldn’t say I wasn’t at least a little entertained.