By Carlos Saura
Fados completes the musical trilogy of award-winning Carlos Saura (Flamenco, 1995; Tango, 1998). Using Lisbon as a backdrop, he explores Portugal's most emblematic musical genre (fado) and its haunting spirit of saudade (melancholy). Tracing its African and Brazilian origins up to the new wave of modern faudistas, he ingeniously deploys mirrors, back projections, lighting effects, and lush colors to frame each song, ranging from a campfire ringed by sinuous dancers to a balletic catfight between two jealous women to a thrilling desgarrada (musical duel) in a fado cafe. The result is a ravishing fusion of cinema, song, dance and instrumental numbers.
Reviews
~ "A celebration of human expressivity." - Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
~ "Casts a wondrous spell" - Andrew Sarris, The New York Observer
~ "A rousing affair¡grandly theatrical." - Michael Koresky, Indiewire
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