Mon Laferte, te amo 2024 Movie Review
The first thing I did after watching Mon Laferte, Te Amo was go on a bit of a dive of her work on Spotify. I was unfamiliar with the Chilean-Mexican singer-composer, and the Netflix documentary turned out to be fascinating enough for me to look into her. In this article, I’m going to share my thoughts on the documentary, but before that, let us run a quick recap.
Mon Laferte, Te Amo is a biopic where the celebrated singer herself narrates her own life story. The narrative is majorly nonlinear, but it’s not at all difficult to follow.Mon (whose real name is Norma Momserrat Bustamante Laferte) lets us know that the primary inspiration behind her music was her grandmother, who also happened to be a musician, and used to write and compose her own music. That was a rarity in those days, as women didn’t use to be lyricists. Mon mentions how difficult it was for her grandma to establish herself in the music industry. Following Gran’s footsteps, Mon also became a singer-songwriter, possibly the most celebrated in both Chile and Mexico. But the journey was not at all easy.
Her childhood was deeply affected by her parents, who kept fighting and eventually divorced. After the custody battle didn’t go his way, Mon’s father took off and completely vanished from her life. Hearing Mon share her account of trying to find her father is quite painful. What’s even worse is the mother ending up with an abusive boyfriend who used to take it out on Mon (and possibly her sister) as well. She does mention that her mother tried her best to raise the children as best as she could, but it was clearly not enough. Years later, when Mon finally found her father, all she wanted was his presence in her life.
As if a set of bad parents was not enough, Mon had to fall into the trap of a pedophile. She was only thirteen, and the man was thirty-four, married with kids. But he came into her life, promising to protect and guide her to success. He made sure that she didn’t drink or do drugs, which was more than enough for Mon’s family. Even though they were clearly aware of what was going on, they wouldn’t stop the evil man from abusing the little girl. Mon ended up in a five-year relationship with this man, who was a street performer. He used to take Mon along with him, and she used to perform her songs, earning him the money. Mon was too afraid to leave him, but finally she mustered the courage to do so. All this while, she had only her music for a savior. Mon didn’t like to go to school other than when she got to sing. Once she was free from the vile man, she moved on and eventually made her way into a popular reality show. She became famous for both singing and standing up against unfair decisions by the judges.
Mon finally discovered both freedom and fame and got the opportunity at a fresh start when she left Chile and went to Mexico. Life turned 180 degrees for her as she finally got to pursue what she always wanted to —music. She also found a great partner in Caesar. Sadly for her, a rather foolish act of infidelity by the man ruined the relationship and threw her into the pit of darkness. Caesar was a very important person in her life, and Mon struggled so much to handle the fallout. She even contemplated killing herself. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, she recovered and came back to the music scene again, and this time around there was no stopping Mon Laferte. The documentary shows Mon doing a tour while being pregnant for the first time. It emphasizes why motherhood is so important to her after all.
In broader terms, there’s mainly two kinds of documentaries: ones that are based on certain event(s), and then others that depict the life of a certain individual. The second kind often follows a preset pattern, where the story is told from the humble beginning to the meteoric rise in the end. More often than not, people who know the person in focus chip in as narrators. Now, I’m not saying this style has run its course yet, but I’ve seen many documentaries adapting this bland formula ultimately turning into a boring experience for the viewers. But Mon Laferte, Te Amo decides to not do things like way, which effectively makes it a revelation. This one does tell a lifestory, but the entire thing is told by the person herself. And it doesn’t follow a set narrative. It almost feels like Mon is sitting with you and telling her fascinating story, and like what happens sometimes, she’s drifting off elsewhere in the middle. The result is an experience that is much more immersive as well as exciting.
Another great thing about Mon Laferte, Te Amo is the use of many kinds of imagery, according to the story that Mon is telling you. Like when she’s talking about her grandmother and anything remotely happy or wholesome, the visuals you see have very lush, warm tones. But the moment she’s slipping into the darker part of the story, it turns grim, and the warm tone is replaced with the morbid, cool tone that’s usually reserved for portraying a somber mood. The part where she talks about the pedophile mostly consists of grainy, monochromatic images, which only enhances the viewers’ experience as you almost get to feel the trauma. This is a downright brilliant approach taken by the makers of the documentary, and everyone associated with it should be lauded for that.
Last but not least, the usage of various songs by the artist was a given here, but how beautifully they all fit into the narrative is remarkable. What further helps is that many of Mon’s songs actually being about her life and the stories she tells—about her father, mother, and the partner who cheated on her. But the interesting part is, Mon is not whining or complaining about any of them. She’s just sharing her journey in a very composed manner. That only makes you love her more.
