Synopsis:
The Man No One Knew is an intimate look at Enriquelo, the queer owner of a flea market, devout Catholic and street artist. This documentary portrait is a moving and funny insight into the life of a man best known around town as a character. We follow his work routine and learn of his ethics and artistic inclinations, ultimately revealing a far more complex person that has come to terms with himself through performance.
French Synopsis:
L'homme inconnu porte un regard intime sur Enriquelo, le propriétaire queer d'un vide-grenier, catholique dévot et artiste de rue; un homme connu dans la ville comme "le phénomène de la rue". En le suivant dans sa routine, on découvre finalement une personnalité bien plus complexe qui a trouvé dans la danse une raison d'être.
Director's Note:
I met Enriquelo shortly after Hurricane Maria plowed through Puerto Rico in September 2017. Before that, he was only a character in our neighborhood; someone I would see rehearsing his dance routines in the street from my window across the street. Once I got to know him, capturing his unique energy was the main interest in making the film. On screen you may see a very open and sincere man, but at times you can also see that selective manner in which he shares information. He dictated the amount of access and terms in which he would be filmed, and even planned some shots. In this film I had the opportunity to shoot in a way that would feel intimate and personal by simply spending time with him. It was important for the camera to be hand held, small, and use a wide lens, with few instances of static camera use in the film’s only planned interview. Everything needed to feel like a dance synched with him. This also has to do with how we perceive memory: it is always in a constant flow, moving around and changing our body as we move forward; a subject matter I’ve always been interested to and have explored in previous work.
By capturing the details of Enriquelo’s routine and paying close attention to his sporadic stories and personal philosophies, I was able to go beyond his performative persona and see beyond the contradictions.
I didn’t impose any line of thought, or push him in a specific direction. He is everything he says he is, and also everything we see. There is no need to explain every detail of his life; his body and home also tell a story. He’s a man that works and lives life in abundance, while still handling his troubled past. There are no repressions, only deliberate decisions to be in total permanence. Healing takes time, and for Enriquelo that is to be in between denial and acceptance, a truce between earth and what is in the heavens. That’s where the anima dances and where life really stands.
All I hope is for the audience to really feel the energy that pours out of the screen and see beyond the song and dance man. I would like to see them entering the dance floor and take with them a different approach to understanding and acceptance.
Cast:
Enriquelo
Directed by: Oswaldo Colón Ortiz
Produced by: Oswaldo Colón Ortiz & Marina Reyes Franco
Camera by: Oswaldo Colón Ortiz
Editing by: Oswaldo Colón Ortiz
Sound Post-Production by: Mario Negrón González
Color Grading by: Omar Rivera Abreu
Sound Post done at Casa Fantasmes Studio
Music or sounds that were captured during the shooting of this film and used under 'Fair Use':
“Got To Be Real”
Cheryl Lynn
Columbia, 1978
“Ladies Night”
Kool and The Gang
De-Lite, 1979
“Good Times”
CHIC
Atlantic, 1979
Chris Tucker, presenting “You Rock My World”
‘Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration’
CBS, 2001
“Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)”
C+C Music Factory
Columbia, 1990
“Billie Jean”
Michael Jackson
Epic/CBS, 1982
“Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)”
The Jacksons
Epic, 1978
“Off The Wall ”
Michael Jackson
Epic/CBS, 1979
“Rockin’ Robin
Michael Jackson
Motown, 1972
Special Thanks to:
Alliance Française
El Gran Especial Car Audio
Álvaro Aponte Centeno
Sofía Gallisá Muriente
Mariana Roca
Beatriz Santiago Muñoz
Fernando Sosa
Gustavo Torres Peña
Camille Vandenbunder
Glorimar Marrero Sánchez
Mapora
2019
FESTIVALS & AWARDS:
. Audience Award - Festival de Cine Europeo de Puerto Rico 2018
. Official Selection - Queer Shorts Section - Seattle Latino Film Festival 2019
. Best Short Documentary Puerto Rico - Rincon International Film Festival 2020
. Official Selection - Short Documentary - Syracuse International Film Festival 2020
. Best International Short Documentary - Festival Internacional de Cine con Medios Alternativos (FICMA) 2020
