In the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis, Portugal is living in an alternative reality in which the state is controlled by a leadership that favours eugenics and dreams of leaving the European Union and building a wall to “protect” the country from unwanted migrants and refugees. To boost the national spirit, Portugal has reached the final of the World Cup and is the favourite to win. Diamantino is the best player in the world and the national hero, the prototype of the new man who will regenerate the nation. “Diamantino”, the third collaboration between Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt, shares the same biting, sarcastic tone of their previous works and explores the structural identity issues that also emerged in “A History of Mutual Respect” (2010) and “Palácios da Pena” (2011), namely a certain idea of national identity based on a popular and cultural imaginary constructed from a past history of political and social repression, and the consequent reflections on colonialism. For example, it is ironic and quite deliberate that the hero of the film, the prototype of the “perfect Portuguese man,” is “saved” by a Cape Verdean woman. The film is also full of fairly explicit iconic references, such as the Machiavellian paraplegic minister (an allusion to Dr. Strangelove) named Ferro (echoing the name of one of the most popular members of Salazar’s inner circle) or the slogan “make Portugal great again” (a Portuguese version of Trump’s slogan in the 2016 presidential election). “Diamantino”, which won the Critics’ Week Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, brings Gabriel Abrantes back to Curtas, where he has won awards on three previous occasions: Best Director Prize for “Humores Artificiais” (2017), Best Director Prize for “A Brief History of Princess X” (2016) and a Special Mention for “Fratelli” (2011). In addition to the film festival, the multifaceted work of Gabriel Abrantes has also featured in the Solar – Cinematic Art Gallery with “Corcunda”, a film co-directed with Ben Rivers, as part of the “Terra” (2017) group exhibition. (PC)