The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo

Movie Summary: Chile’s official selection for the Oscars. Set in a dusty Chilean mining town in 1982, Diego Cespedes’ film is a poetic, absurd, and deeply human modern western. 11 year old Lidia is being raised by a community of trans women led by Boa, the matriarch, in a remote mining town. When several men begin dying of a mysterious plague (supposedly spread by stares) Lidia is confronted by ignorance and fear as the miners decide to exercise control of the bodies of the trans women (whom they adore at night and loath during the day). Cespedes’ film uses magical realism and poetic tenderness to draw us into a pivotal moment in queer history. An ode to the care and resilience of trans family, this breathtaking debut never loses sight of the power of love in the face of dire circumstances.