Most music docs amount to unrepentant ego odysseys, so Wim Wenders' big-hearted tribute to Cuban band The Buena Vista Social Club is a welcome relief. It hardly breaks new ground as it follows Ry Cooder reuniting with the OAPmusos, but its rumba 'n' roll is sunshine for the soul.
Living proof that Latin jazz is the musical Viagra, irrepressible cha-cha-cha troubadours the Super-Abuelos (or Super Grandads) encapsulate a lost youth reclaimed. And Wenders' loose-fit direction slips perfectly into the casual throb of the music. As strolling Steadicams cruise the roads of Havana, we're never allowed to forget that this uniquely funky music is still very much alive.
And the music itself? It's opulent, organic and as intoxicating as a rum binge, dripping with joie de vivre and rumbling with passion. Terrific, truly liberating stuff.
