A feel-good movie set to the rhythm of bagpipes and tambourines

The fable which give its name to the latest film of Daniel Sánchez Arévalo These are not fanciful tales told by the fireside, but rather traditional music groups rooted in the Pontevedra region, participating in competitions that can lead to spectacular choreographies that go far beyond folklore. This is how the director ofDark blue almost black upon seeing the recording of a group attacking with bagpipes, tambourines and timpani the Thunderstruck from AC/DC. This was the spark that inspired RondallasA dramedy where music is the mortar that reunites a town touched by the tragedy of a fishing boat shipwreck.

Javier Gutiérrez is tasked with lifting spirits so that his demoralized neighbors pick up their instruments again, although Sánchez Arévalo understands that the sense of community needs a choir, and doesn't hesitate to shift the focus to highlight the rest of the cast. However, it's a shame that the idiosyncrasies of the places and characters are viewed through a somewhat stereotypical lens, dwelling on the sound of the Galician accent without even considering that the protagonists could express themselves in their own language. In any case, the film deserves credit for turning the choice of the song the group must perform in their triumphant return into a matter of dramatic intrigue… and which ends up sounding as cathartic as when it was chanted at Camp Nou during the years when Guardiola was on the bench.