The Pope's Toilet, to give this Uruguayan charmer its earthier title, is a tale of hope set in a place desperately short of the stuff.

Star rating ****
Dirs: Cesar Charlone, Enrique Fernandez
With: Cesar Troncoso, Virginia Mendez

The Pope's Toilet, to give this Uruguayan charmer its earthier title, is a tale of hope set in a place desperately short of the stuff. It is 1988, and a tiny village on the border with Brazil learns it is to play host to John Paul II during a papal visit. With huge crowds expected, the impoverished villagers come up with various moneymaking schemes to part the tourists from their cash. Beto (Cesar Troncoso) stakes his all on building a toilet, but his cunning plan hasn't allowed for the bad luck and corrupt officialdom that shadow his every move. Charlone and Fernandez keep the mood light at first, but as the stakes grow higher for the villagers they are not afraid to shift tone sharply. A local tale with lots of heroes.
DCA, Dundee, from tomorrow, GFT, Glasgow, Filmhouse, Edinburgh, from September 5