The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (2025)
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (2025), directed by Diego Céspedes, starring Tamara Cortés and Matías Catalán.
score
Synopsis
As an unknown and deadly disease begins to spread, legend has it that it is transmitted between two men, through a simple glance, when they fall in love. While people are accusing her family, Lidia must find out whether this myth is real or not.
- Angello FacciniCinematography
- Diego CéspedesDirector, Screenplay
- Martial SalomonEditing
- Damien MegherbiProducer
About the film
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (Spanish: La misteriosa mirada del flamenco) is a 2025 drama film written and directed by Diego Céspedes, in his feature debut. Starring Tamara Cortés, Matías Catalán and Paula Dinamarca, it follows a 12-year-old Lidia as she navigates fear and prejudice when a mysterious illness threatens her queer family in a remote mining town in 1980's northern Chile.
The film is a co-production of Chile, France, Belgium, Spain, and Germany. It had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2025, where it won the section's top prize. It was selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Read the full article (3k characters)
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (Spanish: La misteriosa mirada del flamenco) is a 2025 drama film written and directed by Diego Céspedes, in his feature debut. Starring Tamara Cortés, Matías Catalán and Paula Dinamarca, it follows a 12-year-old Lidia as she navigates fear and prejudice when a mysterious illness threatens her queer family in a remote mining town in 1980's northern Chile.
The film is a co-production of Chile, France, Belgium, Spain, and Germany. It had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2025, where it won the section's top prize. It was selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Plot
1982. Eleven-year-old Lidia lives with her beloved queer family in a desert mining town in northern Chile. As an unknown and deadly disease begins to spread, legend has it that it is transmitted through a simple glance, when two people fall in love. While people are accusing her family, Lidia must find out whether this myth is real or not.
Cast
Tamara Cortés as Lidia
Matías Catalán as Flamingo
Paula Dinamarca as Mama Boa
Pedro Muñoz as Yovani
Luis Dubó as Clemente
Vicente Caballero as Julio
Bruna Ramírez as Lioness
Sirena González as Star
Alexa Quijano as Eagle
Francisco Diaz as Piranha
Production
In 2019, Diego Céspedes participated in Cannes' Cinéfondation Residence to develop the film. In 2020, the project participated at the Ikusmira Berriak, held during the San Sebastián International Film Festival. It won the TFL Production Award at the 2020 TorinoFilmLab and received €50,000 production grant. In 2021, it also participated at the Producers Summit of the Sundance Institute. In November 2021, it was reported that French production company Les Valseurs would co-produce the film. It was selected to participate at the 2022 Venice's Gap-Financing Market. In November 2023, it received a €139,000 production grant from Eurimages. In May 2024, it was reported that German production company Weydemann Bros Films would co-produce the film. In April 2025, it was announced that Charades had acquired the film's international sales rights.
Principal photography began on 20 May 2024.
Release
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2025.
It was released theatrically in Spain by BTeam Pictures on 16 January 2026, and in Chilean theaters on 12 March, by Cinecolor Films.
It was made available to rent via Letterboxd Video Store in the United States on 10 December 2025.
Reception
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 44 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo uses rich magical realism and vividly realized characters to poetically explore queer resistance, found family, and the power of empathy over fear." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 based on 10 critics, which the site labels as "generally favorable" reviews.
Accolades
See also
List of submissions to the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
List of Chilean submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo at IMDb
Text from The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mysterious_Gaze_of_the_Flamingo
Trivia
- It premiered on September 11, 2025, a Thursday.
- It runs 1h44 — a typical feature length.
- Its original title is "La misteriosa mirada del flamenco".
- As of September 20, 2026, it is available in Brazil by subscription on Telecine Amazon Channel.
- This film's quiz has 13 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosQuijote Films, Les Valseurs, ARTE France Cinéma, Wrong Men, Weydemann Bros., Irusoin
- CountriesChile, France, Spain, Belgium, Germany
- LanguagesSpanish
- StatusReleased
Where to watch
Videos
Photos
Cast
-
Tamara Cortés
Lidia -
Matías Catalán
Flamenco - Pedro Muñoz Yovani
-
Paula Dinamarca
Boa - Vicente Caballero Julio
-
Luis Dubó
Clemente - Bruna Ramírez Leona
- Sirena González Estrella
- Alexa Quijano Águila
- Francisco Díaz Piraña
-
Claudia Cabezas
Isabel - Felipe Ríos
-
Andrés Almeida
Quiz about this movie
Questions from the whole catalogue.
Play nowIf you liked this one
-
Ema
6.7
-
Um Coração Normal
7.7
-
Princesses
6.8
-
Sérgio Drama from the 2020s
6.6
-
Tráfico de Mulheres
6.6
-
Um Dia Desses
7.0
-
Vencer ou Morrer
6.6
-
O Céu Que Nos Protege
6.5
-
A Avaliação Drama from the 2020s
6.8
-
A Vespa Drama from the 2020s
6.3
-
Dogville
7.7
-
The Precocious and Brief Life of Sabina Rivas
7.2
Tags
Crew
- Angello Faccini Cinematography
- Diego Céspedes Director
- Martial Salomon Editing
- Damien Megherbi Producer
- Giancarlo Nasi Producer
- Justin Pechberty Producer
- Florencia Di Concilio Original music
- Diego Céspedes Screenplay
Questions about this film
What is The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo about?
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo: As an unknown and deadly disease begins to spread, legend has it that it is transmitted between two men, through a simple glance, when they fall in love. While people are accusing her family, Lidia must find out whether this myth is real or not.
Who directed The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo?
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo was directed by Diego Céspedes in 2025.
Who stars in The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo?
The cast of The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo includes Tamara Cortés, Matías Catalán, Pedro Muñoz, Paula Dinamarca and Vicente Caballero.
How long is The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo?
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo runs for 104 minutes, or 1h44.
Where can I watch The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo?
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo is available on Telecine Amazon Channel, Apple TV Store and Amazon Video. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.
Similar films
8.7
8.5
8.7
7.9
8.4
8.5
8.1
8.2
8.0
8.2
8.5
8.5
Page updated on 09/09/2026.
Back to the catalogue
