Blue Cha Cha

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The film observes as An-an wades through two traumatic relationships, one with a rich and probably corrupt patron of Ah Yu's bar, and the other with a young manager at the electronics factory she ends up working at. If the film seems at all directionless during these sequences, it's to reflect An-an's own uncertainties about her future. Through the deliberate pacing, the film refuses to surpass An-an's own sense of speed; to drive the plot any faster would be to betray her gradual emotional re-awakening. As we approach the one-year anniversary of Galbán’s passing (July 7, 2011), the result is a recording with an almost orchestral feel, bursting with the energy that only he could glean from the guitar. With his uniquely personal stylistic elegance, Galbán could transform any tune into a gem, adapting it to a language ahead of its time, a language he created, where the sounds of the instrument bore as much significance as the discourse of the guitar. Galbán was a cornerstone of the six-string instrument, and he achieved something that very few are ever able to do: only a couple of bars are needed to recognize his unmistakable style. Cheng shows his sincerity about the characters' desires by very sneakily hiding from us that An-an is mentally stunned. By only revealing the concrete and visual (rather than the diagnostic or medical) details of her life -- pills, slow movements, facial expressions -- the audience learns to sympathize with An-an as a person rather than a patient, and her depiction comes off as anything but exploitative or stereotyped. More important than the root of her condition (which is the Freudian obsession of most mainstream films) are the ways An-an very gradually learns to cope with employment and romance after her release from jail. Ah Yu too is depicted as less a saint-like guardian than a loud, stubborn lady with an inclination for liquor and dance.

These words lay testimony to an ever-apparent aspect: when you bring musicians from entirely different walks of life to a studio and they can connect regardless of language or culture.A close friend said after his passing, “There is always a big sadness when someone beloved has gone, but for Manuel there is a sense of happiness, because he lived as he wished, he traveled the seven seas, he loved, he drank and he touched the angels. Surely, tonight they are preparing a jam session with Ibrahim, Cachao and his other friends – where rum will finish all of them, and they’ll keep playing until dawn…” Wu, Nelson H. (24 November 2006). "Asia-Pacific fest falls for 'Unwanted Woman' ". Variety . Retrieved 2 June 2021.

Director Zheng Wentang: I want to keep the rookie spirit". Business Today (in Chinese). 19 November 2015 . Retrieved 2 June 2021. Cha Cha_ requires patience. That’s code for it being an art house film which moves slowly and doesn’t offer a lot of detail as to why things are happening. Beyond an ambiguous statement near the end of the film revealing why Ah Yu was in prison we never learn anything about her past, and throughout the film it is clear that she has no idea nor concrete desires for her future. She just drifts along, medicated, mentally unstable yet always trying to be nice, hoping each day will offer some measure of fulfillment. _Blue Cha Cha_ isn’t a low-budget indie film, tho. It has excellent production values and looks gorgeous. The direction is fluid and creative and the cinematography crisp and colorful. Special guests on final recording include Omara Portuondo, Rosa Passos, Trío Esperança, Eric Bibb, Sissoko Ballaké and Marcelo Mercadante, among othersBlue Cha Cha is a record that needed to be made, so it’s a real gift,” says Galbán’s daughter, Magda Rosa. “My father used to laugh a lot, and he would say that everything in life has to be given because ‘you know, from up the sky, there are many clouds that you cannot see…’ With this album he could see his dreams come true, and I hope that God enjoys his music as much as we have here on earth.” It's a great pleasure when watching a film you're enjoying and knew nothing about to recognize that beyond being a good film you are also experiencing the work of a skilled director. The upside to this is that there's a good chance you'll have at least a few more good films in your future. Such is the case with Blue Cha Cha. Galbán revisits the sound that he himself forged and so many have tried to imitate, his unique playing style was perfectly suited to the most modern sounds. Galbán’s career had brought him to all four corners of the world, where all his inspirations and experiences are revealed on this final recording. We began with a selection of about one thousand tunes,” said Cuban guitar legend Manuel Galbán and the album’s producers Juan Antonio Leyva and Magda Rosa Galbán. Indeed, Blue Cha Cha, recorded in 2010 and the first solo work to be released by the late guitarist in many years, had been hatched conscientiously. This was a characteristic adopted by Galbán throughout his career. He was a musician who liked to allow projects to mature for as long as necessary to ensure optimal results and was averse to embarking on unwarranted adventures.