Coming to NYC’s Rooftop Films tomorrow, Friday, July 18: MATEO
Aaron I Naar’s portrait of an unlikely mariachi singer had its world premiere earlier this year at SXSW. It went on to screen at Hot Docs and Martha’s Vineyard, and will be part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Sound+Vision series next month.
Matthew Stoneman proves that appearances can be deceiving. Not only does the nerdy, ginger-haired man look far younger than his fifty years, but when he starts to sing, he becomes almost another person, one known by the titular Hispanicized sobriquet. The intriguing story of how Stoneman went from aspiring to be the next Elton John to claiming the title of America’s first white mariachi – it involves robbery and prison time – is only the backdrop of Naar’s complex profile. Following him over four years, the director focuses on Mateo’s make it or break it moment – completing an album in his adopted home of Havana while he contends with self-destructive tendencies, including a distracting predilection for Cuban prostitutes and poor business instincts. Emerging at once as both the film’s hero and anti-hero, Stoneman engenders audience support and head-shaking frustration in equal measures, taking this beyond standard music doc conventions to a much more intriguing look at the wide chasm that lies between talent and fame.
what (not) to doc 