By John Corrado

The latest animated work from co-directors Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal, the filmmakers behind the Oscar-nominated Chico and Rita, They Shot the Piano Player is an ambitious if uneven mix of animation and docudrama.

The film opens at the Strand Book Store in New York City, where fictitious music journalist Jeff Harris (voiced by Jeff Goldblum) is giving a talk about his new book They Shot the Piano Player, an exploration into the mysterious death of a little known Brazilian pianist named Francisco Tenório Júnior.

Harris is investigating the history of Bossa Nova music, and how it was influenced by American jazz. This leads to telling the story of how he came to be aware of Tenório Jr. through the recordings that he played on.

Goldblum’s Harris serves as our tour guide, as the film takes us to Brazil. The narrative is built around his interviews with people connected to the music scene at the time who knew Tenório Jr., tracking back to the last time he was ever seen in 1976 while on tour in Argentina, when he left his hotel room and seemingly vanished into the night. The film is set up as somewhat of a mystery, piecing together the story of his disappearance and how it ties into the political turmoil in the country at the time.

The film tells an interesting story, but doesn’t always engage. The storytelling itself often feels a bit too dry. The framing device around a fake journalist and a fictional book reading never fully justifies itself, and there was probably a more exciting way to tell the undeniably interesting story of Tenório Jr.’s disappearance, and the backdrop of military dictatorships forming in Latin America. Goldblum’s narration also feels like a distraction at times.

But the film is presented in the same vibrant, distinctive animation style as Chico and Rita, with not quite full animation and thick black lines framing the characters. If the animation can feel like a more curious choice for the talking head moments, the visuals pop most in the musical scenes, with the film also set to a solid soundtrack.

Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)

They Shot the Piano Player opens exclusively in theatres in limited release on March 15th. It’s being distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media.