Rocío Molina

A modern, cinematic view of flamenco as a living art form, defined by the push and pull between tradition and innovation.

The spectacular avant-garde choreographies of flamenco dancer Rocío Molina push at the boundaries of dance and the visual arts. She travels the world to perform her partly improvised impulsos at unusual venues such as modern art museums. This bio-doc follows Molina in the months leading up to a new show at Chaillot National Theater in Paris.

María is a six-year-old girl who lives in a coastal town in southeastern Spain. Her cousin Antonio puts the idea of becoming a Dama de la Feria, a beauty queen, into her head. To get the attention of the Festival Committee and be chosen, María must dress up in a flamenco dress. But her mother will not be easy to convince: she knows that her daughter wants more than just a festival dress.

At the age of eighty-two, Carrete wants to fulfil a dream before the end of his career as a dancer: to perform in a great theatre in New York. Despite his tireless enthusiasm, his health tells him that his days as a flamenco master are coming to an end. His art saved him from starvation and the cinemas sheltered him from the cold during the Spanish post-war period. And it was on the big screen that he met his admired Fred Astaire, who settled in his imagination as a fantasy to aspire to. And as he awaits his long-awaited American adventure, Carrete looks back on his past. Joaquín, one of his sons, who was a talented guitarist and whose hopes were dashed by prison, wants to play again. Father and son try to find each other again, while the mirage of the giant skyscrapers fades away, revealing the reality.