The 1970s, Brazil. As corpses are left for the dogs at petrol stations and the people of Recife head to carnival, academic Marcelo is living through the most intense days of his life. Yearning for comfort after his wife’s passing, he is suddenly pursued by opportunists of the regime – the police, a leg bitten off by a shark, and people entangled in a government-level conspiracy. In the midst of it all is his stepson, capybaras, a textbook landlady with a husky Marlboro voice, and violent – just not particularly agile – henchmen. It’s more unbelievable than anything we know – and yet, in a way, it’s all true.

Elegant fusion of political thriller and slapstick. Brazilian master Mendonça Filho – also a film critic and curator – is one of the last cinephiles still working with a camera, creating visually audacious, convention-breaking films wrapped in stylistic bravado. In his latest piece that recently triumphed in the main competition at Cannes, winning two awards (one for Best Director, the other for Best Actor), the centre stage belongs to Brazil’s collective memory, archives, and generational trauma under authoritarian regimes, alongside the love Mendonça Filho has for Pink Panther and Jaws sagas – all amplified by a meticulously crafted soundtrack. In the role of Marcelo – trapped in the snares of conspiracy – is Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (Narcos, 2015–2016), while Udo Kier, the vampire of vampires, plays an unexpected part.