Separado!

Separado! is a vibrant 2010 documentary-slash-road trip film that charts the amazing odyssey of indie-pop musician and Super Furry Animals frontman, Gruff Rhys. Directed by Rhys himself with the help of film director, visual artist, and fellow bandmate, Dylan Goch, it is an energized and emotional narrative submerged in a potpourri of music, culture, history, science fiction, and personal discovery.

The movie traces Rhys as he embarks on an investigative journey of self-exploration, carrying his audience along across the panoramic landscapes of two continents. Starting from Cardiff, Wales, he traces his roots thousands of miles away to Argentina. The film is inspired by the remarkable true story of Rhys' distant relative, the argentinean musician Rene Griffiths, who embraced his Welsh roots and took up messages of Welsh culture through his music.

This musical pilgrimage, while set on a serious premise, portrays Rhys' eccentric charm and creativity. He uses an enigmatic 'investigative-concert-tour,' to uncover the extraordinary story of his familial lineage. He punctuates the journey with impromptu performances using a bizarre travel guitar that also doubles as a suitcase and a projector.

Separado! documents Rhys traversing through the rough terrains of two continents to find a significant connective chord between cultures somewhat lost and dislocated in today’s global society. Rhys seeks to discover how his patriotic troubadour relative Rene ended up singing in a native language thousands of miles away from what was considered home. This seemingly odd odyssey renders an affectionate portrayal of how imagination becomes a survival strategy for the culture of Wales.

In a Pynchonian style adventure that takes him from lush Welsh fields to the arid plains of South America, the musician embarks on a Stranger-in-a-strange-land curiosity trip. His encounters with Welsh ex-pats, random philosophers, and spirited musicians along his way, all add depth to his exploration of identity, migration, dislocation, and most importantly, the anthem of cultural survival.

Shot in a cutting-edge style, the cinematography of Separado! is breathtakingly rich. Goch's eccentric visual storytelling matches Rhys' flamboyant personality – be it the wide-angle views with the musician sharply silhouetted against Argentina’s vast landscapes or the surreal close-ups of Rhys in a silver helmet-like Lucha Libre mask.

Throughout the movie, Rhys cuts a subtly comic figure, dressed in various eccentric guises, his soft-spoken and gently enquiring nature often in stark contrast with his larger-than-life projected superhero alter ego. As Rhys makes his way through a variety of landscapes, the audience is regaled with intriguing anecdotes about cultural collisions and curious visions of a pop-culture Renaissance.

Music is an essential and pulsating vein of this vibrant travelogue. The film features collaborations with various artists, including a unique partnering between Rhys and Tony Da Gatorra, a Brazilian TV repairman turned musician. Their powerful music emanates the energy that mirrors their robust companionship, despite the bounds of language and culture.

Separado! serves as an incredibly unique travelogue that does not just trace Rhys's physical journey but also the spectral journey of music across cultures. Its mixed media approach, combining animation with performance, gives an edge to this biopic on a search for lost history.

Above all, Separado! is a tribute to Rhys' respect and love for his native land and the persistent influence of roots and ancestry. But it is also an exploration of cultural connections and finding belonging in displacement. It is a unique adventure that balances personal discovery, music, history, culture, and eccentric humor with pathos.

Calling Separado! a unique musical, cultural, and personal journey would still be an understatement. It's an avant-garde vision – hyper-energetic and deeply emotional – one that rings revelatory for the storyteller, and utterly captivating for the audience.