El Niño Miguel

The first few minutes of this film would have you believe that it's a portrait of a "typical" homeless man. A man with a furrowed face, an unruly beard and long, uncombed hair struggles out of bed and bundles himself into a suit that has seen better days. The camera follows him as he tries to patch up a broken old guitar, somewhere on the outskirts of a town. It is only when he starts to play - conjuring incredibly beautiful sounds from the battered instrument with his rough hands - that we realize that this is no ordinary guitarist. Miguel Vega de la Cruz, aka El Niño Miguel, is one of the best flamenco guitarists in the world. In his younger days, he played with big names like Paco de Lucia, made records and performed in big concert venues at home and abroad. In this film, he tells us in a rather confused fashion about his youth, which was characterized by poverty, and how he used to perform with his father, who was also a guitarist. Miguel is now back where he started, scarred by life. But when he plays, the old fire is rekindled, however briefly.