(This film was reviewed at the 2011 Ottawa International Animation Festival)
At a time when most modern music is made on a computer, Isle of Man Film and Magic Light Pictures' Chico and Rita celebrates the sweaty, erotic and above all human rhythms of Cuban jazz. A transcontinental tale of romance and music set in the 1940's and 50's, the film is as much a love letter to Cuban jazz as it is to star-crossed love.
Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal Direct Isle of Man Film and Magic Light Pictures' Chico and Rita
Chico (voiced by Eman Xor Oña) is a passionate, talented jazz pianist living in 1948 Cuba. Seeking the perfect voice for his songs, he finds honey-voiced Rita (Limara Meneses) who also inspires him in other ways. A passionate night together inspires Chico's greatest song but the morning after brings complications that tear them apart. Unable to deny their feelings for one another, Chico and Rita's love takes them from Havana to New York to Paris and Las Vegas where they encounter jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Chano Pozo and Tito Fuentes. Seduced by the glittering lights of a world in love with Cuban rhythms but unable to see non-whites as equal, they also see the gathering storm of revolution engulfing their home. Can our star-crossed lovers find happiness despite their own tempestuous natures, and a world that strives to keep them apart?
Directors Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal evoke the era beautifully, helped by Cuban legend Bebo Valdés' luscious score and songs from Thelonious Monk, Cole Porter, Dizzy Gillespie and Freddy Cole. While the animation initially feels crude and simplistic, it's flexible enough to convey the erotic atmosphere and complex emotions the script and music require.
Flaws? A few. Some plot points don't quite hang together. For instance, Rita's amorous manager dislikes her romance with Chico but doesn't mind her getting caught lip-locked with a certain "Wild One". And while the epilogue is actually based on real events - actually, the movie is based upon a real-life affair between two jazz musicians - the final sequence strains credibility.
Chico and Rita a Love Letter to Cuban Jazz
While Chico and Rita doesn't quite achieve greatness, it's still a wonderfully evocative, passionate film. If you love Cuban jazz, or the rhythms of life itself, you owe it to yourself to check out this movie. It gets a 4/5.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
Join the Conversation