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Chavela

Play trailer 2:07 Poster for Chavela 2017 1h 31m Documentary Music Play Trailer Watchlist
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95% Tomatometer 40 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
The life of Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, who gains worldwide fame for her beauty and charm and her interpretation of traditional ranchera.
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Chavela

Chavela

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Critics Consensus

Chavela pays affecting tribute to its subject with an absorbing documentary that outlines her remarkable life while effectively communicating the power and lingering impact of her art.

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Critics Reviews

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Raquel Breternitz Autostraddle 08/17/2021
It is this strength and beauty that drew people to her, and it is the heart of the documentary. Go to Full Review
Bedatri D. Choudhury Bitch Media 01/08/2019
Watching Chavela Vargas sing is like watching rain clouds gather against a hill; she appears onstage, takes to the mic, and sings in her husky tenor. The pain in her songs plays out through the twitch of an eyebrow... Go to Full Review
Brad Wheeler Globe and Mail 12/08/2017
3/4
The late Chavela Vargas, a sad and fiery legend of Latin American song, is the subject of an adoring portrait as straightforward as its title, Chavela. Go to Full Review
Dennis Harvey 48 Hills 01/22/2024
An encompassing portrait... Go to Full Review
Gisela Savdie El Heraldo 11/08/2020
The testimonies are as powerful as her songs, showing how the stage was the only place where she could really express herself [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Lisa Trifone Third Coast Review 05/28/2019
Its the filmmakers' access to her and the people most important to her that make Chavela the film an intimate, thoughtful portrait of a life well lived, a touching homage to a legend that can-and does-hold her own next to [Edith] Piaf any day. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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07/18/2020 The story of a machismo fueled stubborn lesbian singer. See more 01/27/2019 Documental hermoso, bien hecho, sencillo, a lo que va. La vida del "Señora", de Chavela, la lesbiana alcohólica que cambió la vida de tantas personas y que abrió la senda para muchas que venían detrás de ella. Amante de Frida, amante del tequila, amiga de la noche y la bohemia, de Jose Alfredo Jimenez, de Gabo, de Monsivais, de Fuentes, de Picasso, de Almodóvar, de Bosï¿ 1/2 1/2 (C), de todos. A sus 60 resucita, libre de los demonios del alcohol y termina de conquistar las emociones de millones de hispanoparlantes. A los 80 se lanza en paracaídas, como un símbolo de lo que fue su vida y termina a los 93 como una reina en el DF, la ciudad que la hizo, como ella decía, una macha remacha. See more 02/14/2018 This documentary highlights the life of Chavela Vargas, who became a sensation in Mexico in the fifties. She was a proud woman lesbian and her story is told with care. See more 10/17/2017 first of all she wasn't Mexican. you people should read background of her history. she got fame in the famous country and went to the big time after something happened with her life with certain people. this film was good to know about her life and how she got what she wanted, it is a well established part of her speaking about how it all came together with the music. See more 10/11/2017 While poignant and heart-wrenching bio, it is a veritable treasure trove of "la canción mexicana".... (the music of Mexico). See more 10/07/2017 I hadn't heard of Chavela before seeing this film, but afterwards I felt like a lifelong fan. The filmmakers pay a phenomenal tribute to to an under appreciated legend who was WAY ahead of her time. A must see! See more Read all reviews
Chavela

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Movie Info

Synopsis The life of Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, who gains worldwide fame for her beauty and charm and her interpretation of traditional ranchera.
Director
Catherine Gund, Daresha Kyi
Producer
Catherine Gund, Daresha Kyi
Distributor
Music Box Films
Production Co
Aubin Pictures
Genre
Documentary, Music
Original Language
Spanish
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 4, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 2, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$142.4K
Runtime
1h 31m
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