Educational Media Reviews Online

This Spanish-language documentary film delves into the story of Antoñita Singla, known professionally as La Singla, a deaf woman from the impoverished El Somorrostro neighborhood of Barcelona who became a renowned flamenco dancer. Singla rose to international prominence, performing across Europe and for the world’s elite, before abruptly disappearing from the public eye in the late 1960s.

To tell the story of La Singla, the film employs a docufiction style, in which a fictional woman, Elena, has learned the story of La Singla from an acquaintance at her dance studio. Elena begins investigating the career of La Singla, determined to learn more about her fate after stepping back from performing.

Through Elena’s research, the film does an excellent job of providing as full a picture as possible of Singla’s early life and eventual career as a dancer. To set the stage for her early life, photographs of Singla, her family, and her neighborhood are included, as well as footage from the film Los Tarantos, which was filmed in El Somorrostro and featured Singla. The most dynamic inclusion is footage of Singla’s impactful, spirited dancing and, luckily for viewers, there are plenty of clips. To emphasize the magnitude of her career at the height of her fame, viewers see performances at sold-out arenas, photos of Singla with famous Europeans like Salvador Dali, and promotional materials for Singla’s other endeavors, including a Hollywood film that never came to fruition.

The strengths of the film lie in Singla’s story and its depiction through the included media; where the film falters somewhat is through its style as docufiction. The scenes with “Elena,” at times, feel staged and inauthentic. This is especially disappointing at the film’s end when, finally, Singla has been located and appears for an interview with Elena. While the film builds suspense for the viewer about Singla’s life and whereabouts, the impact of Singla’s appearance is dulled by its existence within the film’s scripted world.

Still, the film has value for viewing and discussion in a variety of fields. Film studies classes could consider the docufiction style and its effect, perhaps identifying reasons for this choice and discussing whether Singla may have preferred to appear in a more structured, controlled style, especially after her previous experiences with the spotlight. Courses on women’s studies or disability justice could study Singla’s experiences in the film, both past and present, analyzing them in relevant contexts. Finally, for Spanish courses, the film provides an interesting historical perspective on Barcelona, flamenco, and the Romani experience in Spain.

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