Ilán Lieberman

Beno’s Son

2022

Documentary Feature Film, 102:29′


Synopsis: Ilán, a fifty-two-year-old visual artist, takes his family on a musical road trip, trying to reconstruct the chaotic, creative life and tragic death of his father, Beno Lieberman, a pioneer of folklore research in Mexico. Revisiting remote mountainous and jungle villages, they listen to local musicians – some of whom Beno recorded in the 1960s and ‘70s – who continue to play the very same music today. As Ilan confronts the mystery and pain of his father’s suicide, his son and two daughters pose difficult questions that address the reasons for the silence that often surrounds the act of suicide. And, while exploring the richness, intensity and variety of authentic Mexican folk tradition, Ilán comes to terms with his feelings about his father by opening up to his children and sharing Beno’s enduring musical legacy.

Official Trailer