This is a story relayed through an old man’s eyes. Chico is a broken down old piano player; once famed for his deft ivory tinkling, he now polishes shoes on street corners. But a fiery glint in his eye tells the tale of another lifetime when he fell for a beautiful woman and became swept along in the rush of fame that claimed her.
Chico and Rita is a gorgeously animated film and celebration of Cuban music. It’s the work of three directors, Fernando Trueba (who co-wrote the screenplay with Ignacio Martinez de Pison), Tono Errando and Javier Mariscal. The reminiscences of Chico (voiced by Eman Xor Ona) take us back to Havana in 1948 where he first hears the irresistible voice of Rita (Limara Meneses). Like a magnet he’s drawn to her presence. She’s annoyed by his cockiness initially but a spark exists and then end the night in each other’s arms.
By morning light she learns of his womanising ways, a revelation that will establish the love/hate relationship that will define their relationship. They join creative forces but Rita’s talents are the ones drawing international suitors and when she leaves for New York and beyond, the tug is too great to resist. Chico dutifully follows, but his wandering eye is still a problem. Though appearing to be fated for one another, the pair finally resolve to move on, leaving them separated through the decades that follow. But does the spark ever truly die?
Though it lacks depth of characterisation, Chico and Rita is a joyous celebration of a vividly recreated era. It’s a celebratory musical poem for a time of motion sustained by a jazzy vibrancy and the people whose presence enriched and preserved a culture and way of life. Trueba and his collaborators dwell only fitfully on the political undercurrents; this is ultimately a love story evocatively told through superbly rendered animation that glows with pastel colours and glittering smaller details that continually draw the eye.
The musical score by Bebo Valdes (who, remarkably, is well into his 90’s) drenches the film with an authentic jazzy vibe that enlivens the atmosphere. Though the early scenes in Havana are perhaps its finest, all the New York locales of the time are just as brilliantly conceived by the animators. This melancholy love story has obviously been brought to life with painstaking delicacy and though the narrative has its shortcomings including a couple of subplots that serve no great purpose Chico and Rita (2010) is a union of musical sensibilities well worth making time for.
I say:
A profusion of colours, sounds and characters provide the backdrops with an authenticity that will give Chico and Rita its replay value.
See it for:
The musical riches and attractive visuals.
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