An elliptical blend of documentary and fiction, The Legend of Time is an exploration of two lives on the native island of Spain's legendary flamenco singer, Camarón.
The first tale in this film follows teenager Israel Gomez Romero, growing up (fast) in a boisterous gypsy family. The lively, precocious Isra refuses to sing as he's still mourning the loss of his father. Between fights with his brother and cocky swagger before his would-be girlfriend, there's little for him to do at home.
The centre of the second tale, Makiko Matsumura, is a 20-something Japanese woman who, fascinated by Camarón's music, impulsively moves to his birthplace so she might also learn cante singing. She absorbs the local atmosphere, and even meets her idol's brother, but also learns that singing like Camarón may never come naturally.
Camarón is like an omniscient presence, his renowned passion and free-spiritedness pervading their lives. Balancing the well-observed, compelling naturalism of its performances with formal invention, this is a genuinely original film.