Shooting in the makeshift buildings and noisy streets of Sampaloc in Manila (it’s his own back yard), first-time director Auraeus Solito could almost be channelling the spirit of the late Lino Brocka.

The 12-year-old Maximo (‘Maxi,’ played by the entirely disarming Nathan Lopez) lives with his criminal father and two macho ‘brothers’ and effectively replaces his late, lamented mother. It’s not just that he does most of the housework and cooking, but also that he likes dressing in women’s clothes.

Everything is fine until Maxi strikes up a friendship with a figure of a kind never seen before in Sampaloc: an honest, righteous cop, somewhat bemused by the constant attentions of a young transvestite. The problem, of course, is that policeman Victor is dedicated to jailing Maxi’s father and his boys, and to making an honest man of Maxi himself.

Superbly acted and directed (Solito comes from theatre but knows his movies – don’t miss the brilliant Third Man quote), this is a delightful surprise at all levels.

Tony Rayns, London Film Festival Programme.