The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés

The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés by Antón Álvarez, better known for his career as a musician under the alias C. Tangana, was born from a fateful chance encounter. At the very start, Álvarez himself (whose presence is palpable all throughout the film) tells us how he met the immediately bewitching, flamenco guitar player Yerai Cortés. With a compelling screen presence and gifted with exceptional musical talent, Cortés is drawn to explore the story of his family through his art – and he firmly believes that his music can heal their open wounds. Τhe narrative of The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés is interspersed with several performances, some more classically staged, others imbued with a contemporary air. In its own way, the film enacts the complexity at the center of Cortés’ personal and musical identity (formed both by the gypsy tradition and by an eclectic number of avant-garde influences). With a soulful connection to Isaki Lacuesta’s La leyenda del tiempo (2006), this moving documentary explores gypsy culture, flamenco music, and family secrets with compassion, curiosity, and a good dose of self-reflexive humor.