Trailer for Chavela.
If you’re not familiar with the music of Chavela Vargas, you should be. This legendary, majestic chanteuse revolutionized music in Mexico and challenged the stereotypical macho and hetero cultural norms of the times. With her masculine dress, raspy voice and cigar-smoking, gun-toting persona, Vargas was an unabashedly out lesbian singing music traditionally reserved for men. Whether with mariachi accompaniment or a simple solo guitar, she hypnotized audiences. But her fierce and haunting voice went silent after a long struggle with alcoholism. Vargas re-emerged as one of Mexico’s greatest musical treasures, a muse to international audiences, artists and directors such as Pedro Almodóvar. This epic film beautifully captures Chavela’s fearless life, powerful music and passionate love affairs, including her romance with the equally magnificent Frida Kahlo.