By Roger Costa
CHAVELA
One of the most important voices for LGBT rights and freedom, musician Chavela Vargas was a revolutionary force who defied family, society and men in general in order to prove the equal ability of all women, especially in art. Born in Guatemala, she moved to Mexico where she successfully pursued her singing career, gradually becoming a well known public figure among the bohemian circuit, performing in several cabarets, and giving life to great composers’ melancholic, romantic songs. Though she was notorious in Mexico, it was during her late years in Spain that she finally established herself as a musical diva and a gay spokeswoman, conquering her place at grand theaters in Europe and back in Mexico, the place she chose to die herself when time came. In this poetic, insightful documentary, directors Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi brilliantly dig up the tumultuous, yet lonely life of this fearless, authentic and unique artist, also reviving some fantastic live concert moments. A woman ahead of her time, Chavela struggled with many lovers, alcoholism and persistent solitude, but her most crucial trauma was the lack of love from her parents; through her own declarations and confessions, the absence of family love was the essential element for her unbalanced emotions and compulsion. The film gathers amazing stories of her exciting career, with curious and highly emotional conversations with Pedro Almodóvar, Elena Benarroch, Miguel Bosé and others, each revealing aspects of her strong personality, philosophies, conflicts and uncontrollable passion for women and music. (A Music Box Films Release. Now playing at Film Forum. Q&As with Filmmakers on Saturday, October 7th at 6:15pm show)
THE FLORIDA PROJECT
The second feature film by Sean Baker (Tangerine) relies completely on its protagonists, a group of clueless, delinquent kids living at a motel on the shadows of DisneyWorld. Of course it’s got nothing to do with the fantasy-team-park, instead the creative writer-editor-director conceives an organically funny, realistic and contemplative film that looks at dysfunctional families’ matters with sensitive, humane eyes. An euphoric comedy of manners, social conflicts, and bad behavior, Baker subtly explores other subjects such as abuse, addiction and despair, seen through the children’s playful and naive perspectives, but explicitly raw through the adults/parents’ experiences when they’re (not) around. It’s a humbly well done, yet courageous, ambitious portrait of this troubled generation (in one scene, the crowds at the motel cheer and record a fight outside), with amazing performances by the entire cast, including Willem Dafoe as the very present motel’s manager, and newcomers Bria Vinaite as the young jobless mother and little Brooklynn Prince, as 6-year-old Moonee, the real star of this sunny adventure. (An A24 Films Release. Opens Friday, October 6th at Angelika Film Center.)
THY FATHER’S CHAIR
Both completely heartbreaking and sometimes hard to experience, directors Àlex Lora and Antonio Tibaldi’s fourth collaboration brings the audience inside the home and private lives of Orthodox Jewish twin brothers living under rotten conditions in Brooklyn. The directors follow a team of specialized cleaning as they arrive at the house, hired after the threats of neighbors, colliding with the twins in the process of removing the piles of trash accumulated since their parents passed away. The camera captures uncomfortable moments between them, the uneasiness of the aggravated smell, and the differences in traditions, beliefs and motives. But it’s through these interactions, as they try to keep their memories and significant objects safe, that the film finds its intriguing appeal. Winner of the Best Doc/Life Award at the International Documentary Human Rights Film Festival, and selected at other prestigious circuits including the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, it’s a moving and very unusual voyeuristic portrait of family strings. (A Kino Lorber Release. Opens Friday, October 13th at Village East Cinema.)
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