The Devil’s Tuning

The Paraguayan guitarist Efrén “Kamba‘í” Echeverría died on June 19 of this year. His very personal musical style, characterized by a distinguished tuning and a special playing technique, is the subject of this film. When he’s playing, we hear what seems to be the sound of two guitars. What’s his secret? And will he take it to the grave, or will he pass it on to the next generation? Rumor has it that he learned his unique style from Peloncho, a sinister figure whom everybody has heard of, but nobody has ever met. Peloncho is said to have sold his soul to the devil.

Juan Vera, a talented pupil of Echeverría’s, investigates whether Peloncho ever actually existed. He doesn’t believe in spirits or supernatural powers. Nevertheless, in this suspense-filled docufiction, director Juan Carlos Lucas creates an air of doubt—not only in the voice-over, but also through stylistic choices. Between the interviews, Juan wanders along a deserted path, visits a graveyard and stares at the moon. Everything happens in the dark. Are myths being investigated here, or created instead?