Hard Paint review – sex, lies and webcams in Brazil's underworld

A lonely man young facing jail time strikes up an unlikely connection in this absorbing but exasperating urban drama

An oppressive sort of claustrophobic loneliness is what you're left with at the end of this atmospherically photographed, fervently acted but ultimately unsatisfying movie set in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. It enfolds you in its own world effectively enough but it listlessly problematises sex and leaves untied an important plot strand.

Pedro (Shico Menegat) is a young gay guy awaiting a plea hearing for an assault charge after he hit back at a bully; he could get a suspended sentence or serious jail time, depending on the attitude he shows the judge. His only real friend is his sister, Luiza (Guega Peixoto), who is moving away from the city. So out of pure isolation, Pedro sets up a live webcam stream showing him dancing naked, smeared with fluorescent paint, for paying online customers. Then he discovers another dancer, Leo (Bruno Fernandes) is doing the same thing, having apparently ripped off Pedro's act - and resolves to confront him.