ROMANTICO (80')
GENRE: DOCUMENTARY
DIRECTED BY MARK BECKER
CSS
Horizontal Sub Menu Css3Menu.com
In every part of the world, illegal
immigrants from poorer countries find their way into
richer countries in their quest for a better life. In
"Romántico", the story of Carmelo reflects desires and
disappointments found the world over. And his songs bear
witness to an existential quest for happiness in the
face of frustrated dreams.
Romántico is a feature-length documentary
portrait of Mexican musician Carmelo Muñiz. The film
follows Carmelo as the troubadour returns home to scratch
out a living after years of trying to get ahead in the US
(San Francisco). Through his eyes, the viewer watches a
migrant tale in reverse, as the film vividly captures why
the 60-year-old first chose to leave his beloved family
and cross the desert borderlands.
Together, Carmelo and his musical
partner, Arturo Arias, roam the streets of San Francisco
from restaurant to restaurant and earn a living playing
love songs for tips. They are a duo, but they call
themselves a trio for marketing purposes.
Carmelo's stay in San Francisco ends
abruptly when he learns that his ailing mother has taken a
turn for the worse. Upon his return to Mexico, Carmelo
sees his family for the first time in many years, but
almost as soon as he arrives, he realizes that he can't
adequately support them. And so Carmelo picks up his
guitar again in an attempt to earn enough to pay for a
return trip to the States.
NOMINATED ? SUNDANCE GRAND JURY PRIZE
NOMINATED ? TWO INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS
GRAN PRIX ? BILAN DU FILM ? PARIS
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE ? SILVERDOCS
2nd PRIZE / AUDIENCE AWARD ? LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
2nd PRIZE ? DIRK VANDERSYPEN AWARD FOR JOURNALISM
Top 10 Undistributed Films of 2005 ? indieWIRE
Best Films of 2005 ? Ella Taylor ? LA Weekly
For more information please see http://www.meteorfilms.org/
|