They Shot the Piano Player

A young Brazilian piano player, Francisco Tenório Júnior, unexpectedly disappears one night and is never heard from again. While it is likely that he is a victim of the brutal military regimes that ruled Latin America at the time, a journalist from New York - fascinated by Tenório's music - travels to Brazil to uncover the truth.

They Shot the Piano Player is a dazzling, animated, and documentary-style dive into bossa nova, samba, and the music of Brazil. The film is scattered and not organized well but it is a colorful and intriguing true story. It is soothing to the soul to see the film's artistry of Rio in moonlight and the bright and vibrant clubs and landscapes of Brazil. It is also interesting to learn about the military regimes of the time where tens of thousands of innocent people were tortured and killed for no reason. Their friends and family never got to say goodbye. These people are not alive or dead, only "disappeared."

Maybe a bit too long, maybe too many interviews and maybe a little bit disorganized. Nonetheless, very interesting (and touching). If you are a fan of Brazilian "jazz" (bossa nova) or quality music in general, this movie is a must. The animation is well made, although a bit on the simple side. One is tempted to think it's because of money: a more natural animation would have been way more expensive. But, maybe, this simple style does lend the movie a charm, and is probably trying to give the viewer a feeling of the 1960s/1970s, the way (some) illustrations used to look like back then.

Some viewers don't know that all Latin American dictatorships of the 1960s and 1970s were endorsed (and even financially supported) by the United States, which even sent CIA agents to train their police forces in the "art" of torturing. It makes one think about how hypocritical US governments can be.

This an animation film about the life and tragic death of Francisco Tenório, a jazz piano player. The story is narrated exclusively through the recorded accounts of people who met him, and it's framed through the journey of discovery that a writer takes to write a book about him.

The reconstruction of the interviews that constitute the bulk of the film is painstaking and extensive. Most are slightly unfocused, fogged by the passing of time, and can be resumed with "he was a great guy". It's only well into the second act that we start to get crumbs of information about his cruel demise, and eventually the mystery is solved. Ample context is given, and it sheds light over a very dark time of the history of Latin America. You leave the cinema feeling that Francisco remains a ghost, that his short life in perilous times left precious little trace beside his records, but perhaps it's intentional, and it's laudable that the director resists the temptation of creating an overarching narrative for dramatic effect.

Side notes: I found the "reduced animation" technique exceedingly distracting, and I couldn't quite decide if it was a stylistic choice, or a budgeting strategy. Jeff Goldblum is pitch-perfect in the part of the narrator, although little is made of the cultural difference between his character, a textbook New Yorker journalist, and his subjects, mostly old men from Brazil and Argentina.

Overall, a slightly uneven movie that remains interesting, and tells a worthwhile story. And, ah, Jeff Goldblum.

One of the best Animation films, "They Shot the Piano Player" (Dispararon al pianista) is a kaleidoscopic foray into the world of music, politics, friendship and the search for truth and justice.

Tenório Jr. (Francisco Tenório Júnior) was considered the best Brazilian pianist of his time. Emerging during the height of Bossa Nova when the music had conquered America Tenório was at the forefront of the legendary scene, recording a solo album and collaborating with the likes of Vinicius de Moraes, Toquinho and Milton Nascimento. Performing as a pianist for Vinicius de Moraes' band when the latter toured Argentina in 1976 at the height of the country's dictatorship Tenório disappeared one night, never to be seen again. What transpired on that fateful evening is the core of this appealing and highly watchable toon/documentary on art and the evils of an oppressive regime.

Jeff Goldblum is the voice of American journalist Jeff Harris, the man who took on Tenório's haunting and tragic tale and wrote about it. The film is about his quest in finding the truth on Tenório's fate as he travels Brazil, Argentina and the United States. The interviews conducted with the music's luminaries like Gilberto Gil and Joao Donato in animation is a visual treat adding further to the adult nature and documentary style of the flick. The colorful graphics add to the Latin/tropical reflection and vibrancy of the music. Although slow at parts with its newslike approach the film conveys the power and magic of art in transcending and triumphing above some of the most unforgivable of evils.

A celebration of a sound, a nation and a talent, "They Shot the Piano Player" is a commemoration and a reminder. More animation of this kind should be made and hopefully a film like this would serve as an inspiration for more to follow. For fans of music and Animation this is one that shouldn't be missed.

The film serves as a reminder that, beneath the surface of the music and the mesmerizing landscapes, lies a deeper narrative of struggle, resilience, and the indomitable spirit of those who resisted oppression. The poignant stories of the disappeared become a collective cry for justice, echoing through the years and demanding acknowledgment of the atrocities committed during that dark chapter in history.

In conclusion, "They Shot the Piano Player" is not just a documentary; it is a symphony of sight and sound that resonates with the heartstrings of its audience. The scattered narrative mirrors the disarray of a nation under the grip of political turmoil, while the vibrant visuals and soul-stirring music provide a compelling backdrop to the search for truth. Through Francisco Tenório Júnior's story, the film becomes a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity, an ode to those who vanished into the shadows but whose echoes linger in the soul of Brazil.