An Avocado Pit

Sometimes life pivots on a dime. A chance meeting between two people. Flirtation, and the breaking down of barriers. A chance, perhaps, for romance, even in circumstances fraught with danger – or, at any rate, an opportunity to see and understand the world in new ways.

One of the very best short films of 2023, and qualified for the Oscsars as a result of its festival success, Ary Zara’s film is in essence a meet-cute but it communicates all the power and possibility therein, and as such it’s a world away from most romantic fare. It takes place late one night in Lisbon, when the gutsy, charismatic Larissa (Gaya Madeiros) is out visiting travesti sex workers, making sure that they have condoms. It’s a quiet night, they tell her. There has only been one actual customer. There’s also a guy sitting across the road in his car, watching them. He’s handsome, they agree, but he hasn’t been tempted by anyone.

“Watch and take notes,” says Larissa.

Pick-up videos may be a popular genre online, more often creepy than truly educational, but Larissa has got real skills, and viewers will fall for her every bit as easily as the man (Ivo Canelas) who calls himself ‘Carlos’ and hangs up on his partner when she climbs into his car. A lot of this is Madeiros, with perfect timing and sparkling eyes, warm and witty and a little bit too close, at ease but urgent and edgy at the same time. Part of it is Canelas, with whom she enjoys a lively chemistry. It’s also down to Sara Marques’ editing, which is simply brilliant. It’s this which elevates the film beyond conventional storytelling and makes it about living and breathing in the moment.

There are a lot of films with trans characters around this awards season, and they’re beginning to be more diverse – not just endless tales of transition and tragedy – but it’s still rare to see one as joyous as this. Both main characters are aware throughout of the risk of violence, and there’s a hint of melancholy about Carlos’ discomfort with aspects of his own sexuality, but this only adds to the energy of the film. He is on a journey of discovery, experiencing something which, no matter how it might end, is liberating him. We watch as he opens up emotionally, setting aside a façade he might have worn for most of his life. What makes it special, however, is that Larissa is plainly learning something as well. We know she has been looking for love – one of the working girls tells her at the start that she’s not going to find it around there – but there are multiple kinds of love here, and something more besides: a kind of internal reckoning.

Packing a lot into just 20 minutes, and doing it with seemingly effortless style, An Avocado Pit is a gem of a film and you should see it at the first chance you get.