'The Mystery of the Pink Flamingo', the most kitsch (and cinematographic) flamenco route
Love Hate. What the director Javier Polo has with the flamingos it's an outright wild romantic obsession. He sees them everywhere, finds them in the least unexpected places, loves them, desires them... and disowns them. But above all things, they seem to him the greatest enigma of nature. A perfect starting point to spice up The Mystery Of The Pink Flamingo (Polo Brothers/Japonica Films), the documentary film which focuses on this eccentric icon , made by Wiggle (Rigo Pex).
The one that has been opening film of the Mostra de València (was going to premiere at the now canceled SXSW 2020) this November, it finally premiered last week in London, making its grand entrance in Madrid cinemas during the Rhizome Festival (November 19 at Sala Equis ), in the Renoir cinemas ; and in Barcelona (on November 20, 21 and 22).
"I even have them in my soup and I see them everywhere but, at the same time, I love them because they are very, very pretty. The shape they have, the eyes, the neck, the beak... they are very enigmatic and it always seems that they know more than we think , who laugh at us, even", he confesses about the flamingos the Valencian director who, together with his brother Guillermo -as director of photography-, has just released a ode to the bizarre and kitsch universe that makes up the collective imagination of this animal.
It was in the United States where the flamencos became a whole economic recovery symbol after World War II, in the state of Florida, becoming the perfect souvenir of the time. To add insult to injury, Mr Featherstone he began producing them in plastic in 1957, dyeing gardens across the country a vibrant pink. In 2020, flamingos are everywhere : tattooed on the bodies of rockers and millennials, decorating homes (Alaska and Mario's terrace in Madrid is already a milestone), being the logo of vintage stores in gentrified neighborhoods, as "tacky souvenirs" of trips to beach destinations, in bars and "cute" restaurants, or as an essential decoration for stores and franchises such as Tiger or Primark... They are everywhere, yes, but their meaning differs between generations and urban tribes.
"The flamingos came into my life at a specific point, back in 2015. It was from then on that I have not stopped focusing on them, noticing where they were (everywhere!). The documentary fulfills its autobiographical part because, as our main character, I felt persecuted by them", explains the director. That character is Rigo Pex –played by the true and totally antagonistic, in real life, Rigo Pex–, a sound engineer serious, logical but eccentric who dreams of a strange phenomenon that disturbs him: The Pink Flamingo. Thus, Rigo becomes a guide throughout a journey that reveals how icons can help us find our own identity and, eventually, change our lives.
"A Rigo i met him doing Europe in 8 bits and since then I have been fascinated with his character, "recalls Polo. "We became friends and traveled together to present the film. In the end the relationship deepened and living with him I realized that what I like most about his person is his freedom. He has no qualms, he has no shame, he is super spontaneous and very cheerful . I chose him because of who he is and not because I made up a character," he continues.
"When I told people about this project, they didn't understand anything, but then they suffered the same as me, it was like a flamingo virus that spread . In the end, pulling the thread and looking at the people who had been inspired by them, as well as the effect they had had on humans throughout history – from the myth of the phoenix to counterculture characters like John Waters, or artists like Picasso or Neruda – I realized that they have something that inspires and even affects".
With a visual aesthetic Extremely careful and rarely used in the documentary genre, Polo plays with external references such as those of Wes Anderson –in terms of symmetry, split screens, interviews or narration– but also with the explosion of david lachapelle color , or more vivid shades like those of Toilet Paper, alternating pinks with a lot of pop. "The start starts with tripod positions and architectural plans to accompany a character who is locked in a monotonous 'cube' and it is from then on that the journey begins... when the camera starts to move and become wilder and more spontaneous . It is an evolution that goes hand in hand," explains Javier.
"It's funny because the movie at first seems like a analysis of contemporary culture to then become a series of confessions from creative people – such as Internet sensation, Pink Lady of Hollywood ; the music guru Allee Willis , the pop band Kero Kero Beautiful either Edward Casanova , who opens the doors of his home to the film crew to explain his own vision and worship of "bad taste" –. For this reason, in some way we have not wanted to put subtitles identifying them within the film, so that what matters is the message Y not who says . The film begins as a path of personal rediscovery and ends up being a self-help road movie", jokes Rigo on the other end of the phone. "I think it's a pretty timeless story and that thirty years from now it will continue to seem current".
This is how The Mystery Of The Pink Flamingo is a trip that starts in Valencia and ends up gloating in destinations like Wisconsin, Miami or Los Angeles. "We wanted a very kitsch aesthetic , the neons of Miami , flamingos, pink... and its origins," says Javier. In Spain, for example, locations such as the Red Wall by architect Ricardo Bofill , in Alicante. Or members of the hotel chain Concept Group (Paradisco, Cubanito and Tropicana), as well as the Pink Lagoon from Torrevieja.
"Already in the United States what we were looking for were the pink elements, the influences of flamenco and that point miami art deco. María García, production director she managed all the permits, although once we were there we went a bit like crazy", she says between laughs. "Sometimes we were driving and we saw some motel down the road and we had to stop to shoot ... not after having to convince them based on improvisation, "she explains.
"For a moment I thought that everything was going to be too bizarre , but I think it reads very well and that it has some characteristics that make it not a traditional film... in fact, sometimes it looks like a video... so yes, I think it represents me", Rigo tells us when We ask if he is satisfied with the final result of his debut as an actor on the big screen, "Is there going to be flow? I wondered to myself about how the film was going to be. And yes, the truth is that there is and yes, it does," he tells us excitedly.