MR. LEATHER

Daniel Nolasco 2019 Brazil 84min Portuguese s-t-en
Synopsis:
Instructive and intensely erotic, irreverent and political, Mr. Leather pulls in tight on the candidates of the second annual Mr. Leather competition in São Paulo who – in and out of leather – probe the boundaries of pleasure and the restrictions of “a retrograde and selective generation.” With as many tastes as there are individuals, the subjects of Daniel Nolasco’s documentary let us in on their inspirations – from Tom of Finland cartoons to Marlon Brando movies – as well as their personal struggles. A motorcyclist in the moonlight, the carnal squeak and squeeze of leather, radio host Francine Zaqui jovially interviewing the contestants about their aspirations, and, of course, a jockstrap parade at the legendary Eagle bar – it’s all here. Laced with offbeat interludes with the film’s “host” and closets full of leather fashions to sift through, Mr. Leather swaggers with good humour towards the culmination of the contest where “BDSM practitioner” Dom Barbudo will pass his beloved sash to a new ambassador for the community, and the hope for more inclusion and kinship reigns supreme.