Chavela

This mesmerizing documentary tells the story of Chavela Vargas, a Costa Rican-born singer who found fame in 1950s Mexico performing torch songs. Dressed in trousers and a poncho (she claimed that when she dressed more traditionally like a woman, she looked like a transvestite), Vargas huskily sang of loss and yearning for women lovers (without changing female pronouns). Starring in movies as well as on stage, Vargas gained a passionate following, and archival footage of several music performances here underscore her reputation for taking an operatic, emotionally risky approach to life and relationships. Vargas lived the way she sang, seducing the wives of powerful men, sleeping with Ava Gardner, and immersing herself in a long affair with Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Much of this material comes from an extensive interview Vargas gave on film in 1991, when she was 81 (she died at age 93 in 2012). Vargas is frank about everything, including a drinking problem in the 1970s that led to her self-exile in a small village, eventually emerging sober when a serious lover gave her an ultimatum. The most delightful part of Chavela is Vargas's unexpected second act, late in life, when renowned filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar orchestrated her comeback and even fulfilled her dream of performing in Paris. Highly recommended. (T. Keogh)