“I wanted to explore her relationship with tango, an art from the past. I also wanted to draw a portrait of what being an independent artist means, which in her case implies not only self-management, but also choosing her own repertoire. And I also thought it was important to reflect upon the relations between the domestic and the professional, between money and art, between the public and the private,” says Juan Villegas (Sábado, Los suicidas, Ocio) about his new opus Victoria, a serene documentary on a poignant tango singer with an unforgettable voice.
Victoria Morán is a 36-year-old tango singer (also a caring mother and a housekeeper) who’s chosen to put distance between her career and the spotlights of the media for over two decades now. As she says, she’s always been more of a bohemian in love with singing itself. Nonetheless, she’s released several albums and critics regard her as one of today’s most remarkable figures in popular music. Needless to say, she has a gorgeous voice that makes you tremble with mixed emotions from tip to toes.
Yet now she needs and wants to have more exposure and more gigs — and for many reasons. She could certainly use the money, perhaps even a steady income, so that she can launch her albums with less difficulty. Or she could even fulfil one of her dreams: to open a tango bar.
Under the precise eye of Juan Villegas, Victoria becomes an observational documentary that asks viewers to contemplate and listen carefully, not only to her unique singing but also to what she says about her longings, hardships, joys, and hopes for the future. Sometimes with an air of melancholy and a certain disguised sadness, other times with confidence and delight, Victoria allows her feelings to flow freely in her daily life. You see her as devoted singing teacher, or performing at a retirement home, or cooking meals in her homey kitchen, or just talking to her friends and neighbours.
Since Victoria is not your usual documentary about a singer talking about her career, Victoria, the woman, soon becomes a nuanced persona — and Villegas surely knows how to elicit the best from her. With no explanatory voice over or journalistic questions and answers, little by little, you get to see Victoria in her daily life as is. On the minus side, the film deliberately lacks a strong dramatic drive, so to some viewers it may feel flat every now and then. Granted, there’s subtlety in the details apprehended, but don’t expect high and low points for there are few. Think of Victoria as a character study that goes for a low profile rather than big gestures.
