Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien) steps behind the camera for this slight, whimsical tale about a peculiar Mexican boy (Christopher Ruíz Esparza) who decides he’s his father following a long hospitalisation for an unexplained breakdown.
Initially, his devoted mum and siblings play along, but then the real paternal hothead turns up after a two-year absence.
Luna’s commitment to simply telling the story is admirable – he doesn’t set out to dazzle with first-timer embellishments.
But Abel is blighted by limp plotting and anaemic characters, leaving it as flat as a steamrollered tortilla.
