This June, the HELENA SOLBERG CINECLUB presents the unapologetic, bittersweet comedy Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter, revolving around a trio of cheerful young queers ambling through a chaotic metropolis plagued by a pandemic. Another off-the-wall film by Gustavo Vinagre, it is queer cinema at its most radical, most mischievous, bravest, and… queerest. The perfect film to celebrate Pride Month!

Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter | Três tigres tristes

Dir. Gustavo Vinagre | 2022 | Brazil | 86 min. | Portuguese with English subtitles

São Paulo, in a dystopian future not so very far from the present. A virus is circulating, one that mainly attacks the brain and the ability to remember. Three young queer people drift through a city bled dry by the pandemic and rampant capitalism, remembering each another’s late lovers, sharing their experiences with HIV, getting makeup tips for masked faces and ultimately coming together with others forgotten by society.

As these affable characters wander the city, the amusingly bizarre encounters and misadventures they have along the way feel like a road movie on foot, narrating a vision of Brazil that embraces diversity, sexual freedom and infinite kindness. Vinagre’s film is a playful allegory not only about the government’s political failure but also about how those on the margins of society have found a way to survive their dystopian surroundings. Recalling the whimsy of Tsai Ming-liang and the surreal humour of early Gregg Araki, Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter offers both a biting political commentary and a bouquet of hope for a new queer era.

The film took home the coveted Teddy Award for Best LGBTQ-themed Feature at the Berlin Film Festival, and was also awarded the Best Future Prize at the Rio de Janeiro Film Festival, the Jury Special Prize at the Festival Cinematográfico Internacional del Uruguay, and the Jury Prize at the Boston’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Other screenings include the Guadalajara International Film Festival, Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana, Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Viennale, New York Film Festival and Forbidden Colours at the Barbican.