‘Bionico’s Bachata’: New Dominican Comedy Is A Riotous Ride Of Dark Humour

Bionico’s Bachata (Dir. Yoel Morales, Dominican Republic, 2024) encapsulates bachata in its truest sense: at its core it’s a tale of love, nostalgia and heartbreak. 

Bionico is the charismatic and mercurial protagonist, who ducks and dives through the streets, colmados, strip clubs, and gangster houses of his barrio, Capotillo, in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Bionico is on a quest. His persistent drug addiction dictates every component of his life. Meanwhile, his love, the beautiful La Flaca, is in a rehabilitation centre recovering and getting clean from drugs. Sensing that if La Flaca is successful with the detoxification process – and after seeing social media of her and a potential love interest at the centre – he might lose her forever, Bionico sets himself the gargantuan task of breaking free from his affliction. In the same way as the opening sequence of Trainspotting offers a checklist to live a socially acceptable life (Choose a career/ Choose a job…) Bionico feels compelled to do the same: secure a job, get housing, and buy a wedding ring. 

This task is made all the more complicated by Bionico’s sidekick, Calvita. The larger than life Calvita shares his drug addiction, and oscillates between the angel and the devil on Bionico’s shoulders. On the one hand, Calvita tries to help Bionico find affordable housing and makes sure Bionico stays strapped to his bed when he’s in pain withdrawing to ensure he won’t use again. But Calvita also laces their tea with a psychoactive substance and tricks Bionico into smoking again. Could Calvita be a metaphor of the opposing forces acting on a person with a drug addiction, or of the contradictory forces acting on someone in the barrio? The incredible performances by Manuel Raposo as Bionico and El Nepo as Calvita anchor the film and are full of depth, but also, crucially, extremely believable and natural. 

Bionicho’s Bachata exudes a frenetic energy. Thecamera is constantly lurching to keep up with Bionico’s erratic lifestyle, and the sound track is punctuated with the pulsating rhythms of the island – bachata, merengue and dembow. The editing and graphic design are executed in such an instinctive and free way that they underscore the intensity of the drama. The film masterfully blends the genres of documentary, romance, comedy, drama, tragedy and action to create something truly unique that constantly flickers between the gritty reality and the surreal. In spite of the countless tonal shifts, Bionico’s Bachata never stigmatises the delicate subjects it deals with, be it drug addiction, deprivation or sex work. Instead, the film takes on a nuanced and humane approach. 

Above all, Bionico’s bachata is FUN, so strap yourself in and enjoy the ride!

Bionico’s Bachata screened as part of the recent BFI London Film Festival 2024.

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