Locarno International Film Festival 2009
 

 Synopsis
 Helena is a rising Tango talent who is deeply and madly in love. When she successfully auditions with her band for a residency in a prestigious theatre in Buenos Aires her career looks set to take off. But she is hit by tragedy: the man with whom she is in love will no longer love her back. For Helena, who lives and sings for love, this is the end of the road. Obsessed and tortured by her loss, she can’t get over her heartbreak and becomes a shadow of her former self. But what if she took off and started all over again? What if she just left behind the sorrow and stepped into new life in a new country?

Program Note
 Helena, a tango singer, had an audition at the most prestigious theater in Buenos Aires and it was a success. And yet, life is tough. When she is about to have a brush with Lady Luck, unexpected ordeal strikes her; her boyfriend calls it quits. Everything becomes meaningless and she can’t help being selfdestructive. Since Helena sings with love, she decides that she can’t separate love from tango. So, she leaves everything behind and exiles to a little village by the seashore in Northern Europe looking for love. Diego Martinez Vignatti has directed Nosotros, the documentary about tango, and La Marea, the portrayal of the intricate psychology of a strong woman. The Tango Singer is can be considered an exquisite mixture of the two. Chronological order is out the window and the story moves back and force through time with a series of flashbacks. The narrative interlocks with the camera that moves subtly to the omnipresent tango melody. Most of all, tango itself is the hero of this film. Eugenia Ramirez Miori who also starred in the director’s previous work sang all the songs live. Melancholy yet poetic lyrics and melodies sometimes bring out the inner feelings of Helena and sometimes evoke a unique sentiment when in harmony with the colors and lights of Argentina. The Tango Singer is pleasing to the eyes as well as to the ears. (KWON Eun-sun)