In 2012, while I was living in Madrid, a friend invited me over to watch a 1976 cult documentary called El Desencanto—The Disenchantment—about a brilliant, tormented Spanish family of writers: the Paneros. Little did I know that this film would end up taking over my life, along with the family itself. Soon after watching the documentary for the first time, then rewatching it again and again, I wrote an essay about it for The Believer, which eventually led to my book. El Desencanto is an astonishing piece of cinema and universally hailed as a classic in Spain, but for some reason it has never been released in the US…until now. I acquired the rights to the film and have screened it in cities around the US, from New York City to San Francisco, with many more showings to come. If you’d like to organize a screening, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. DVDs for academic and research institutions can be purchased here.
Aaron Shulman 