Rebelión [Rebellion]

Packed with fantastically exuberant music, this is a stylish biopic about the late Colombian musician Joe Arroyo (1955 – 2011); tormented genius and indisputable superstar of the 1980s salsa revival.

‘El Joe’ fizzes with passion and talent as he celebrates Mother Africa for his musical inspiration; we see his legendary melodies born from his obsessive cassette recording techniques, and his band driven to distraction in an endless practice session. But he also has a self-destructive streak that ruins his relationships and gradually destroys his body – his drug addiction and deteriorating health are reflected in the film’s claustrophobic, non-chronological structure, in which scenes woozily slip across time and place throughout his stellar career. A psychedelic journey into the darkest corners of a creative genius.