Fabián Matus explores the life of his mother, singer and activist Mercedes Sosa, in intimate documentary
MERCEDES SOSA: THE VOICE OF LATIN AMERICA (Rodrigo H. Vila, 2013)
Cinema Village
22 East 12th St. between University Pl. & Fifth Ave.
Opens Friday, January 24
212-924-3363
www.cinemavillage.com
www.firstrunfeatures.com
The life and career of Grammy-winning Argentine folk singer and activist Mercedes Sosa is celebrated in the dutiful yet intimate documentary Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America. “I used to say Mercedes was our Mick Jagger, that Mercedes was our Paul McCartney,” explains musician León Gieco early in the film. “She was the Rolling Stones and the Beatles all together.” Among the other musicians who sing Sosa’s praises are Pablo Milanés, David Byrne, Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque, Victor Heredia, and Isabel Parra. Director Rodrigo H. Vila (The Hero of Two Sisters Mountain, Project Huemul: The Fourth Reich in Argentina) combines archival footage — much of which unfortunately is of very low audio and visual quality — with new interviews, primarily discussions between Sosa’s son, narrator Fabián Matus, and people who knew his mother, from her brothers to fellow musicians to psychiatrist Dr. Juan David Nasio. The choppy story follows Sosa, who was also known as La Negra, from her childhood to her initial success to her exile from her home country for speaking out against the military dictatorship and in favor of freedom and helping the poor. “If you are ordered to shut up / don’t be afraid / don’t be afraid / Unsheathe the cry / step on it / I say, step on it,” she sings as the crowd roars its approval. Among the songs — seen only in snippets — featured in the film are “Vidala de la Soledad,” “Canción con Todos,” “Antiguos Dueños de las Flechas,” “Cuando Me Acuerdo de Mi País,” and “Gracias a la Vida,” but they never really give the true sense of Sosa’s power. In addition, the overly worshipful documentary glosses over the last half of her career, following her triumphant performance at el Teatro Ópera de Buenos Aires in 1982. While Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America is likely to be treasured by Sosa’s loyal fans, it doesn’t quite bring it all together for those less familiar with this South American superstar.