But when he arrives, Daniel seems to have vanished. Peter discovers that his brother owns the burlesque Benidorm Club. Among the dancers, Alex, a beautiful woman with an enigmatic past. Spall is terrific as the archetypal “little man” at the story’s heart. But the British-born Sarita Choudhury (‘The Green Knight’) is even better as the vampish Alex, who may even know what has befallen Daniel, but is in no mood to give up her secrets just yet.

The film is as much a haunting portrait of Benidorm itself with its emphasis on the architecture and townscape. It is stunningly visual, with a colour palette, not dissimilar to its producer Pedro Almodóvar.

- FEMALE DIRECTOR