In 2017, Brazil held its very first Mr. Leather competition, offering an exciting opportunity for its burgeoning fetish community. As inaugural winner Dom Barbudo prepares to crown the new winner, Mr. Leather follows five São Paulo men competing for the title, delving into their relationships with leather, kink, and politics.

Guided by a wry, leather-clad narrator who delights in recounting the community drama and stops the film for a fashion interlude, this sexy doc takes a playful, candid look at the culture while probing its subjects with questions of personal history, gender politics, and queer visibility in a politically turbulent nation. Refreshingly, it never lets the subjects off the hook when it comes to issues of gender and inclusion, offering a more progressive outlook for this newly established community that refuses to be shackled to the past. Director Daniel Nolasco’s stylized approach to documentary makes Mr. Leather a unique, honest journey into a culture that is often misunderstood or misrepresented.