La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés

A thoughtful exploration of gypsy culture, an intimate portrait of flamenco guitar player Yerai Cortés and a healing family exorcism through music. Antón Álvarez (aka C. Tangana) makes his filmmaking debut with this moving documentary.

La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés by Antón Álvarez, better known for his career as a musician under the alias  C. Tangana,  was born from a fateful chance encounter. At the very start, Álvarez himself (whose presence is palpable all throughout the film) tells us how he met the immediately bewitching, flamenco guitar player Yerai Cortés. With a compelling screen presence and gifted with an exceptional musical talent, Cortés is drawn to explore the story of his family through his art – and he firmly believes that his music can heal their open wounds.

The narrative of La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés is interspersed with several performances, some more classically staged, others imbued with a contemporary air. In its own way, the film enacts the complexity at the centre of Cortés’ personal and musical identity (formed both by the gypsy tradition and by an eclectic number of avant-garde influences). With a soulful connection to Isaki Lacuesta’s La leyenda del tiempo (2006), this moving documentary explores gypsy culture, flamenco music and family secrets with compassion, curiosity and a good dose of self-reflexive humour.

– Cristina Álvarez López

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