X

2017
Unrated
Music Box Films
1 h 33 m

2017
Unrated
Music Box Films
1 h 33 m

Summary Through its lyrical structure, Chavela will take viewers on an evocative, thought-provoking journey through the iconoclastic life of game-changing artist Chavela Vargas. Centered around never before-seen interview footage of Chavela shot 20 years before her death in 2012, and guided by the stories in Chavela's songs, and the myths and ta...

Directed By: Catherine Gund, Daresha Kyi

2017
Unrated
Music Box Films
1 h 33 m

2017
Unrated
Music Box Films
1 h 33 m

Chavela

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews

68

User Score Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings

8.0

My Score

Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Through its lyrical structure, Chavela will take viewers on an evocative, thought-provoking journey through the iconoclastic life of game-changing artist Chavela Vargas. Centered around never before-seen interview footage of Chavela shot 20 years before her death in 2012, and guided by the stories in Chavela's songs, and the myths and ta...

Directed By: Catherine Gund, Daresha Kyi

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews

89% Positive
8 Reviews

11% Mixed
1 Review

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 9 Critic Reviews

89% Positive
8 Reviews

11% Mixed
1 Review

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Oct 2, 2017

The captivating documentary Chavela, directed by Catherine Gund (“Born to Fly”) and Daresha Kyi, mesmerizes with its impressionistic blend of archival photos, musical performances, concert footage and candid interviews with the legendary singer herself, as well with her ardent friends like Pedro Almodóvar and former lovers.

By Claudia Puig FULL REVIEW

Los Angeles Times

Oct 5, 2017

Celebrating a great ranchera interpreter without sugarcoating her, this straightforward film honors her approach.

By Sheri Linden FULL REVIEW

Chicago Tribune

Oct 19, 2017

More than a female singing cowboy, Vargas was ranchera incarnate, whether singing the material of drinking companion Jose Alfredo Jimenez or her own cathartic cries from the heart. The film is a fond but clear-eyed tribute.

By Michael Phillips FULL REVIEW

Austin Chronicle

Nov 22, 2017

A well-chosen collection of friends and former lovers provides reminiscences that flesh out Chavela’s challenging personality. However, the documentary provides scant information about the challenges Chavela faced in her career.

By Marjorie Baumgarten FULL REVIEW

Washington Post

Oct 26, 2017

The result is a solid if conventional bio.

By Mark Jenkins FULL REVIEW

Oct 2, 2017

The film's hopscotching-in-time structure, informed by specific remembrances of Chavela Vargas's life, is refreshingly unconventional.

By Wes Greene FULL REVIEW

The New York Times

Oct 3, 2017

Those looking to learn the basic outlines of the life of the singer Chavela Vargas could do worse than watch Chavela, but this plodding documentary from Catherine Gund and Daresha Kyi rarely transcends simple biography

By Ben Kenigsberg FULL REVIEW

See All 9 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings

80% Positive
4 Ratings

20% Mixed
1 Rating

0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 5 User Ratings

80% Positive
4 Ratings

20% Mixed
1 Rating

0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

Production Company Aubin Pictures

Release Date Oct 4, 2017

Duration 1 h 33 m

Rating Unrated

Genres

Tagline Trailblazer. Rebel. Icon.

Website http://www.chavelavargasfilm.com/

View All Details

Awards

Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival

• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations

L.A. Outfest

• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations

Berlin International Film Festival

• 2 Nominations

Related Movies

Hoop Dreams

Universal Acclaim

Man with a Movie Camera

Universal Acclaim

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Universal Acclaim

I Am Not Your Negro

Universal Acclaim

Woodstock

Universal Acclaim

Collective

Universal Acclaim

Amazing Grace

Universal Acclaim

Stop Making Sense

Universal Acclaim

We Were Here

Universal Acclaim

Faces Places

Universal Acclaim

David Byrne’s American Utopia

Universal Acclaim

Shoah: Four Sisters

Universal Acclaim

Our Body

Universal Acclaim

Sherpa

Universal Acclaim

The Decline of Western Civilization

Universal Acclaim

Brother's Keeper

Universal Acclaim

Crumb

Universal Acclaim

One More Time with Feeling

Universal Acclaim

Sugarcane

Universal Acclaim

The Act of Killing

Universal Acclaim

De Humani Corporis Fabrica

Universal Acclaim

Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros

Universal Acclaim

Related News

2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

April Movie Preview (2024)

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith Kimbell

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.