Luìs Ortega continues to surprise the public with his second feature film and we can't help to notice that its produced by Almodovar.
Inspired by real life events, the movie follows the beginnings of Carlos Robledo Puch, one of his country's most famous criminals. The story shocked Argentina in the 1970s, people soon surnamed him « El ángel negro » or « El ángel de la muerte » because of the crimes he commits at such a young age.
In this biographical thriller, we get to know our gentle and wise-looking 17-year-old protagonist whom no one can resist because of his angelic appearance. The story starts not long before he gets to high school and explain how he sets his sights on Ramon, who will become his partner.
The director uses colors with balance and delicacy. Even if we can sense Almodovar's influence on the cinematographic references of Ortega, integrating symbolism through paintings, music and dance are common for both of them. There's also a unique sensibility that add a real value to deal with those themes that are considered subversive. In fact, aesthetics can almost make you forget that it deals with real crimes, deaths and homosexuality at a time where it wasn't as accepted.
I saw « The Angel » without reading any critics or synopsis and was agreeably surprised when I discovered that the original songs were in fact from the father of the director's himself.
If the movie was good, what's really not to miss is the soundtrack that you can take with you wherever you go !
Partly by the singer Palito Ortega; main representative of the "new wave" musical style that marked Spanish-American music between the 60s and 70s. His son will use one of his 70s hit that seems to be written for his movie.
La casa del sol naciente performed by Palito Ortega
Inútil es que trates de entender
O interpretar quizás sus actos, sí, sí
Él es un rey extraño, ja
Un rey de pelo largo
It is useless to try to understand
Or perhaps interpret his actions, oh
He is a strange king
A king with long hair
Hay fuego en su mirada y un poco de insatisfacción
Por una mujer que siempre quiso y nunca pudo amar, jamás, jamás
There is fire in his eyes and a little dissatisfaction (Dissatisfaction)
For a woman he always wanted and could never love, never, never
Vagando por la calle, mirando la gente pasar (Gente pasar)
El extraño del pelo largo, sin preocupaciones, va
Wandering the street, watching the people go by (People go by)
The long-haired stranger, carefree, goes
Here are some songs from the movie :
El extraño de pelo largo, La joven guardia
Corazón contento, Palito Ortega
Cada día somos más, Billy Bond y La Pesada del Rock and Roll
Llegará la paz, Pappo's Blues
No tengo edad, Gigliola Cinquetti
In Vienna, Moondog
La chica de la boutique, Heleno
Mi tristeza es mía y nada más, Leonardo Favio
Single Foot, Moondog
Milonga del ángel, Ástor Piazzolla