Volando Bajo is a Film Revival of a Once Thriving Mexican Musical Era From 70’s and 80’s
Film Director Beto Gomez and Actor Rafael Inclan
By Elia Esparza
In my 26 years of covering Hollywood Latino entertainment, this is the first time I have been stumped, fooled by my own misinterpretation of a film. I recently met film director Beto Gomez. We got to talking about his new movie, Volando Bajo, which premieres on Sunday, May 18, 2014, at the Hola Mexican Film and Food Festival, 7PM at Plaza de Cuturas y Arte, located at 501 N. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.
He said it was about a popular band from the 80’s, and all of the ups and downs the lead singers experienced during and after their rise to fame and fortune. I saw the trailer and the music was instantaneously familiar to me.
I’m Mexican. I grew up in San Diego and visited relatives in Tijuana, Rosarita Beach and Ensenada my entire life. And, I was into the Spanish-language sappy-sugary pop music big time! Los Freddy’s, Los Muecas, Los Baby’s, Los Angeles Negros, and even Los Moonlights from the 60’s.
Watching the trailer, I smiled and blurted out, “I remember Chuyin Venegas and Cornelio Barraza! Whatever happened to them?”
How embarrassing when co-star Randy Vasquez leaned over and whispered, “You know it’s fictional, don’t you?”
That’s right, Volando Bajo is a story conceived out of the imagination of one Mexican filmmaker who happens to be a great storyteller. Beto Gomez wanted to tell an authentic story about an era of music that dominated pop culture at that time. He created two fictional characters (Chuyin and Cornelio) and their band, “Los Jilgueros de Rosarito” (The Gold Finches of Rosarita). Everything about the characters, including the flashy and cheesy wardrobe, their long mullet haircuts—is an accurate representation.
Gerardo Taracena as Chuyin Venegas in Paris
Volando Bajo is about two childhood friends from the seaside village of Cantamar just north of Rosarita Beach, Baja California. Chuyín Venegas and Cornelio Barraza’s love of music takes them from their humble beginnings to the heights of musical and movie stardom during the 1980’s. “Los Jilgueros de Rosarito,” enjoyed 10 years of mega success and popularity. Eventually the stress of it all gets to Cornelio and they break up. Chuyin, now a rich man, retreats to Paris and lives in a beautiful mansion. Here he works on a new record and and is about to embark on his first international tour as a solo artist. But the ghosts of his past haunt him and knows that before he can move on, he has to return to Mexico, to the little town by the Pacific Ocean shore. Chuyin revisits his and Cornelio’s childhood, their adventurous journey to success and where everything fell apart. It is time to right some wrongs.
Beto Gomez set out to make an authentic film revival of a once thriving musical era, and he succeeded. Volando Bajo is a time travel and when you open your eyes, you’re on the sandy shores of Rosarito Beach in Baja. Bring on the Tequila, Margaritas and some music from Los Jilgueros de Rosarito!
Elia: Why do you refer to Volando Bajo as the 1988 Italian movie “Cinema Paradiso?”
Beto Gomez: To me the film is a tribute to this Italian classic and the films of my childhood—for the children of my generation, this was a period where Mexican cinema of the 70’s and 80’s was innocent, happy and that totally fascinated me.
Do you consider Volando Bajo a musical?
BG: I see Volando Bajo as a dramedy. It is a story that delves into a powerful passion for life, and the value of the simplest things as we pursue our dreams, love and family.
The band “Los Jilgueros de Rosarito” is 100% fictional yet I’ve heard them before!
BG: The story is a fiction, but it is also an accurate representation of so many singers… of the people who have succeeded and have built a huge and personal connection with their fans, like Pedro Infante, Tin Tan, Los Bukis, etc.
Geardo Taracena and Rodrigo Oviedo
Chuyin and Cornelio experience a rag to riches story like many of the popular artists of that era. Why do you think some break up at the height of their popularity?
BG: The story is typical of other real-life break ups. The protagonists had a very different view of looking at life, and Volando Bajo represents 40 years of history from the once famous fictional pop stars, Chuyin Venegas and Cornelius Barraza.
How do Chuyin and Cornelio’s song compositions to compare to that of the best composers of the 70’s and 80’s?
BG: Well, they fooled you! I think they perfectly represent the music of many of the most famous groups of that era: Los Angeles Negros, Los Terricolas, and Los Yonics.
Does Volando Bajo break any Mexican stereotypes?
BG: Rather than break stereotypes, the film is a clear homage to the Mexico that we love the most—the Mexico that is joyous, colorful and very musical!
You’ve again cast American actor Randy Vasquez. What is it about this actor that you like?
BG: Randy is another actor who I admire. And, for all of my films, I only want to work with the best actors. I’ve had the good fortune to have met him and have since become great friends. He’s a director’s dream actor. As Lorenzo Scarfioti, Randy is able to accurately capture the villain’s complexity while still making him an endearing character at the same time.
How hard was it to cast Chuyin and Cornelio? Why was it important to make one a blond?
BG: The challenge was difficult because there had to be a natural chemistry between the two actors.
Jose Javier Cano and Hector Gutierrez as the young Cornelio and Chuyin
Also, they had to be able to sing. After casting, the magic began. I made one a ‘moreno’ dark-skin and one ‘guero’ light-skinned and blond. There is this belief that there are no Mexican blonds. But the reality is, especially in the North, there are many towns filled with ‘gueros de rancho’ (ranch Blonds).
What do you hope the audience takeaway from your film?
BG: I hope that for two hours, they have a great time. That they enjoyed the movie, music and for some, I hope they are able to reminisce and savor this special time in Mexican music history.
Your 2011 film, Saving Private Perez, is considered one of the highest grossing movies in Mexican cinema history. Did making Volando Bajo change you in any way because of your own growing popularity?
BG: Each film is a new experience, but in this case this story was much more artisan, and it took me back to my own beginnings. I enjoyed making this this movie very much.
From humble beginnings to mega stardom. Cornelio (Rodrigo Oviedo) and Chuyin (Gerardo Taracena)
Gracias, Beto! I still would swear that Chuyin and Cornelio really existed!
Come meet Beto Gomez and the entire cast of Volando Bajo at the premiere on Sunday, May 18th, 7PM at the La Plaza de Cultura Y Artes located at 501 N. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. (Plaza Olvera). After the film, the Mexican rock/pop/alternative band, La Gusana Ciega, will perform.
For more info and to purchase tickets: http://www.holamexicofest.com/p18.html
Volando Bajo Runs: 90 Min. Language: Spanish, English Subtitled Director: Beto Gomez Writers: Francisco Payo Gonzalez, Beto Gomez Cast: Gerardo Taracena, Sandra Echeverria, Randy Vasquez, Rodrigo Oviedo, Rafael Inclan and Ludwika Paleta
Trivia: If Geardo Taracena (Chuyin) is familiar to you, then it’s because he stars in Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto.
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