Fame brings seismic shifts, impacting the famous person’s self-image, identity, and relationships with others and causing enormous pressure. Spanish filmmaker Carlos Vermut probes these changes in his latest feature, Quién te Cantará.

Lila Cassen (distinctive Spanish actor and musician Najwa Nimri) was Spain’s most famous singer until she mysteriously disappeared from the spotlight a decade ago. As she prepares for her comeback tour, an accident leaves her with amnesia, and she no longer remembers how to perform.

Violeta (Eva Llorach) is an incredible singer but stopped when she had her daughter. A huge fan of Lila, Violeta belts out her songs at the karaoke bar where she works. Violeta’s dream comes true when Lila’s assistant seeks her out to teach Lila how to be Lila.

Quién te Cantará’s unexpected plot twists, melodramatic moments, and precise attention to colour and detail lend Vermut’s latest an Almodóvarean air. As Violeta teaches Lila how to perform her own songs, the famous singer is reminded of what she loved about performing in the first place. With the pressure of fame and the expectations of others no longer a weight, the delight that comes from creating just might be restored.

DIANA SANCHEZ