Mercedes Sosa: The Voice of Latin America dir. by Rodrigo H. Vila (review)

Argentine musician Mercedes Sosa, often referred to as the “singer of the people,” was known for her extraordinary voice and performances of songs that contained a pronounced political subtext. In this film, Sosa’s early life in poverty, her personal romantic life, her struggle with domestic abuse, alcoholism, depression, and her constant battle with shyness are all acknowledged. The director of the film, Rodrigo Vila, has created an emotional homage to Mercedes Sosa by presenting a series of interviews with her friends, family, and music colleagues that he alternates with recordings of her own words and voice. The film is useful to those looking for a more personal understanding of the life of a Latin American musician and how the politics of race, class, and gender affected both musical creation and performance.

While Vila does not attempt to discuss many of Argentina’s political issues in this film, he does address Sosa’s personal investment in her native country and her continued courage in the face of censorship and oppression. Unfortunately the root causes of this censorship are not explicitly investigated in this film. In fact, the political power of music, in particular the texts of the songs from the Nueva Canción (New Song) tradition to which Mercedes Sosa belongs, is regrettably left under-examined.

In too restrained a manner and without mention of contemporary singers like Victor Jara, Vila does indicate that songs with a political message often resulted in many musicians suffering great personal losses, imprisonment, and exile, and that Sosa herself was no stranger to the high price paid for speaking her truth. In her lifetime Sosa received death threats, was arrested on stage, imprisoned, and despite her clearly stated desire to remain in Argentina, was forced into exile to France. Through documentary footage we hear Mercedes herself speak about these personal and political struggles and their often-devastating effects.

Highlighting that Sosa’s political and cultural influence was not limited to Argentina, the film includes interviews with artists from Cuba (Pablo Milanés), Brazil (Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque), Chile (Isabel Parra), Argentina (Teresa Parodi, Charly García, León Gieco, Víctor Heredia), Puerto Rico (René Pérez), and the United States (Scottish-American David Byrne), all of whom agree that Mercedes Sosa embodied the idea of freedom, and that through her music she herself was the representative voice of Latin America.

At points the film’s narrative is a touch sentimental and peculiarly superstitious. It might be argued that these moments are justified as they are an authentic element of Mercedes Sosa’s life and works, but they are not persuasive and actually detract from her significant musical and social contributions.

It is the testimonies of the artists who were interviewed that emphasize Mercedes Sosa’s role in cultural and political change. Perhaps the most significant statement comes from the interview with Pablo Milanés who states that the influential women of Latin America, like Mercedes Sosa, were the living cultural history of Latin America.

The documentary footage of Sosa singing on stage throughout her career is truly stunning and it reveals how unquestionably gifted she was as a musician. As stated above, through capable use of documentary footage and audio recordings, Sosa’s voice largely provides the narrative in this film, which, given the persecution and censorship that she suffered in her lifetime, is the most fitting of all possible tributes.