Synopsis
The story of one of Latin America's most beloved singer-songwriters in a journey across his 50-year career. In an intimate way, the film gives us a chance to get to know the artist, his music, and the stories behind them.
2018 ‘Yo no me llamo Rubén Blades’ Directed by Abner Benaim
The story of one of Latin America's most beloved singer-songwriters in a journey across his 50-year career. In an intimate way, the film gives us a chance to get to know the artist, his music, and the stories behind them.
Eu Não Me Chamo Rubén Blades
Este documental me gustó mucho!! personalmente no me agrada mucho la salsa como estilo musical, sin embargo el ritmo de esta película me cautivó por completo haciéndome disfrutar del gran carisma de Ruben Blades, sus canciones cargadas de potentes mensajes y de las historias detrás de cada una de ellas.
Conocer mediante este documental la multifacética trayectoria del artista detrás de "Pedro Navaja" fue un agradable descubrimiento.
Very moved by this film! I wasn't aware of Ruben or his work, but he's clearly a powerhouse artist/genius on the level with the best of the best. There's a sequence that goes back to footage of a 1978 performance of 'Plastico' that just sweeps you off your feet and clues you right into his whole philosophy. What the film itself lacks in prowess it makes up in heart tenfold.
Saw it at Festival de Lima in Peru opening night. As an aside, the president of of the Republic of Peru was present at this screening -- apparently a fan of Ruben, who himself ran for president of Panama in 1994 (and who I think exemplifies the notion that all art is political).
SAW IT AT SXSW 2018
A great testament to one of the greatest Salsa singer/songwriter that has ever lived. This man has lived one of the most interested life ever. He is a pearl of wisdom. He made me proud to have been born in Panama. It brought a lot of memories of listening to this songs in my younger days.
Buen retrato autobiográfico de una voz que trascendió a la salsa como estilo estrictamente musical. Rubén Blades forma parte del selecto grupo de músicos latinoamericanos con una sensibilidad social auténtica.
Benaim is the best documentarian and filmmaker to come out of Panama. Watch this, Invasión, Chance, literally anything he’s directed, and you won’t be disappointed. Always socially poignant and visually striking, his style reminds me of a less-grounded Fincher, mainly in that his camerawork is often purposefully void of personality and his shots framed as widely and cleanly as possible in an attempt to let the subject speak—visually or otherwise—for itself. This is especially effective in his documentary work, creating a verisimilitude that is uncommon, even within non-fiction propaganda films. That being said, WHAT he points his camera at is as much a directorial choice as how. Focusing on Blades’ trailblazing contributions to national, Latin American, and international salsa culture as…
I'm pretty sure that Ruben Blades really is his name; and the film isn't exactly clear why it has this title. In any case, Blades is a Panamanian patriot (once ran for President of that republic), whose major reputation is that of a major salsa singer/musician. He has also been an actor, one of those familiar supporting faces in more than 30 films. And remarkably, he won a law degree from Harvard as a youth. This bio-documentary tells his story, mostly in his own words, spoken on camera in various situations, in Panama and mostly in New York City, where he usually resides. His message is that he wants to leave for posterity a vestige of his real self, artist…
este documental sólo me hizo querer más y más a Rubén Blades he just said LATINOAMÉRICA!!!
Blades is my favorite singer in the world, so seeing this film about his life and his perspective was a beautiful thing. His world view, his music himself as a person, his life is made all clear here. The story of his life was told very solidly in this documentary. If you like this documentary, make sure to give his music a listen! Albums I recommend include Siembra, Buscando America, Mundo and Amor y Control.