Synopsis
Spanish with English and French subtitles
With Patricio Crom, Sebastián Nuñez, Matías Crom, Guillermo Elías, Mirta Álvarez, Juan Villarreal, Alejo de los Reyes, Moscato Luna, Rodrigo Albornoz, Tape Rubin, Horacio Avilano, Alfredo Sadi, Cucuza Castiello, Mateo Castiello, Elisa Sanda, Andrea Zurita, Laura Zilber, Lina Agrima
The Hidden Sounds of Tango follows tango guitarist and collector Patricio Crom after he finds an old “boca de estrella” guitar like the one Carlos Gardel used. He decides to restore the instrument and recover its original sound, a search that draws him into the history, craft, and emotion that live in its wood and strings.
Directed by Yael Szmulewicz, the film accompanies Patricio as he invites luthiers, recording specialists, and leading tango guitarists to help him unlock that hidden sound. Through rehearsals, recordings, and conversations in Buenos Aires, they explore different ways of playing, the subtleties of acoustic recording, and the living legacy of Gardel’s guitar.
Little by little, The Hidden Sounds of Tango becomes a road movie through today’s tango scene and its deep memory. The film celebrates a tradition that remains very much alive, showing how one instrument can connect generations, styles, and personal stories through the shared love of the guitar and of Gardel’s voice.
Press
“An homage to traditional guitars.” – Nicolás Dell’Acqua, Escribiendo Cine
“A declaration of love for instruments, an almost ethnomusicological exploration of the way music from the past is produced, sounded, and preserved.” – Andrés Valenzuela, Página/12
“A timeless piece with a distinctive authorial mark.” – Francisco Mendes Moas, Cine y Teatro Argentino
Notes on the Film
“I am passionate about tango music and dance. I have been dancing tango for many years, and during that time, I have been deeply immersed in the tango universe. In addition to dancing, I film tango orchestras, ensembles, and singers, as well as social and professional dancers at milongas (social dance venues) and in exhibitions, concerts, and competitions. There are countless ways to approach the making of a documentary, but my preferred method is to discover while doing—to find my way in the making, to allow myself to be seduced, and to surrender to what happens along the way, all while holding onto a central vision.
When I met Patricio Crom, I was instantly seduced by his passion for the guitar. One of the first things he said to me when we started talking about this project was a quote from famed Argentine folk musician Atahualpa Yupanqui: ‘The guitar, before being an instrument, was a tree, and the birds sang in it. The wood knew about music, long before it was an instrument.‘ With this quote, Patricio transported me to a place from which it was hard to return—the metaphorical universe of things.
This film follows Patricio’s journey to understand and explain his passion for the guitar. Through meetings with different figures in Buenos Aires’ tango music scene, Crom explores the guitar’s imprint upon tango music, as well as its history and the myriad emotions it evokes. At the same time, two antique guitars—one the same as those that appeared in Carlos Gardel films, and the other an eleven-string Manjon model from the turn of the 20th century—are each restored by one of the best luthiers (specialists in stringed instruments) in the world. Patricio meets and plays music with a handful of renowned contemporary tango guitarists using these two restored instruments, and a singular album that pays homage to tango history is produced.
Through Patricio’s quest to find the sounds of a time gone by in these restored instruments, the film exposes how the guitar and its music are channels for encounter—they elicit emotions, generate bonds, and create stories. In addition to being a tango guitarist, Patricio is a puppeteer and a very special person. His emotional intelligence and incredible charisma drew me to accompany him on this journey, to uncover together a sound that had been lost to time.”
– Yael Szmulewicz, Director
