A hairless guinea pig in drag. An adult baby dispensing cash from his diapers. A drug-dealing cabaret singer hosting an otherworldly salon. These are just a few of the colorful characters we meet in Gustavo Vinagre’s bold, whimsical new film, which took home the coveted Teddy Award at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival.

Set in an alternate-reality São Paulo in the midst of an amnesia-causing virus, Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter revolves around a trio of cheerful young queers exploring the vibrant underside of the chaotic metropolis. As the three wander the city, they swap stories about old lovers and HIV, get make-up tutorials, and encounter fleeting romances. Vinagre’s film is a playful allegory 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 humor of early Araki, Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter offers both a biting political commentary and a bouquet of hope for a new queer era.