Dionisio lives with his mother in a hut, and makes his living as a crier in his town. He carries a little drum and two sticks in a little box made of small branches. He takes out his drum and sticks and stands teetering on the tiny box, and shouts announcements while beating on his drum. Obviously, he doesn't make much doing this. His luck changes when he is hired to announce the coming of a carnival to the village, and is recruited to emcee a cock fight. The winning rooster is badly enough hurt that its owner wants to kill it, but Dionisio persuades the owner to let him have the injured bird, which as it turns out can still fight, and goes on to win a couple of more matches, and also makes Dionisio much richer, before finally losing, i. e. getting killed. Through this exposure to gaming, Dionisio becomes a different person. His luck becomes intertwined with a woman he meets, and eventually wins over, who sings with a group at the carnavals where the cockfights take place, and is known as la Caponera, though her real name is Bernarda. Their relationship takes them into one of the most passionate sex scenes ever, but cools (at least on his part). Like he did with his mother before, Dionisio neglects Bernarda, but this time with tragic consequences.
Fantastically filmed in gaudy color, with great attention to the details of its location and characters, this is a film not to be overlooked.
Fantastically filmed in gaudy color, with great attention to the details of its location and characters, this is a film not to be overlooked.