What a brilliant film this is! Even though it is set in the communist Cuba of the 70s, it is not heavy on political propaganda. Instead, this is a movie about acceptance & friendship. All the 3 protagonists are wonderful & their characterizations are done so beautifully & with so much sincerity that you feel like they are your friends too. Don't get me wrong, they are not angels; they all show momentary weaknesses, but are fabulous people overall.
1) David- He is the first one that the viewers get introduced to, as the callow young man who takes his girlfriend to a cheap motel to get into her pants. The girlfriend is not impressed by the ambience of the hotel room, does not comply with wishes & questions his motives in bringing her to the motel. Flustered by this, he vows not to touch her before they are married. In the very next scene, she is getting married to an older man with more influence & social standing. David is heartbroken & now questions his ex-girlfriend's love for him! A bright student at the university, he is at that stage in his educational & philosophical journey where he feels like he knows what life is all about. He is very dogmatic about his political and social beliefs. He chooses to study politics even though he is interested in literature. At this point in this bright student's life, Diego enters with a strawberry ice-cream in his hand.
2) Diego- In the beginning, Diego comes across as a very annoying guy. As revealed at the climax of the film, Diego had made a bet with his then paramour that he would seduce David. To this end, Diego resorts to mild blackmail to lure David him into his house on the pretext of having some compromising photos of his. He dashes David's plan to quickly leave after grabbing his pics by spilling coffee on his shirt & then asking him to take off his shirt until eventually drying it in the balcony. Naturally, all this makes David very suspicious & uncomfortable. Diego happens to have a lot of books that were banned by the communist regime. Also, the artwork & pics in his home make David very suspicious. When David reports this to his comrade at the university, the latter convinces the former to visit Diego again & collect more evidence about his anti-revolutionary activity. In this process, however, David & the viewer realize that Diego is actually a very nice guy who is extremely well-read. He is religious(!), cultured, educated & intelligent. But in the communist Cuba of the 1970s, he feels like an outsider with no freedom to express himself or live the way that he wants to. He's even being pushed out of his own country against his will! Towards the end, the viewer can't help but love him for his good heart & his commitment to his true individuality. Notice how gentle he is with Nancy when she tries to commit suicide & how he sets up the other two protagonists with each other all the while being in love with David! He even confesses it all in the end, even though David doesn't tell Diego about his initial motives!
3) Nancy- A fallen woman with a heart of gold, she is a vigilant but she does not tell on Diego because he is a good friend to her. This makes David realize that even in a police state, two people with very different beliefs can be friends. She likes David & badly wants the relationship to work.
This is a coming-of-age story where along with David, even the viewer feels enlightened. The light-hearted manner in which this film effectively deals with severe political, social & personal crises is commendable. In conclusion, the autocratic communist regime notwithstanding, the viewer gets to see that this beautiful country has wonderful people with enough fortitude to always prevail through it all!
The direction is top-notch & all the actors did an excellent job. I was particularly impressed by Jorge Perugorría. What a brilliant actor!
1) David- He is the first one that the viewers get introduced to, as the callow young man who takes his girlfriend to a cheap motel to get into her pants. The girlfriend is not impressed by the ambience of the hotel room, does not comply with wishes & questions his motives in bringing her to the motel. Flustered by this, he vows not to touch her before they are married. In the very next scene, she is getting married to an older man with more influence & social standing. David is heartbroken & now questions his ex-girlfriend's love for him! A bright student at the university, he is at that stage in his educational & philosophical journey where he feels like he knows what life is all about. He is very dogmatic about his political and social beliefs. He chooses to study politics even though he is interested in literature. At this point in this bright student's life, Diego enters with a strawberry ice-cream in his hand.
2) Diego- In the beginning, Diego comes across as a very annoying guy. As revealed at the climax of the film, Diego had made a bet with his then paramour that he would seduce David. To this end, Diego resorts to mild blackmail to lure David him into his house on the pretext of having some compromising photos of his. He dashes David's plan to quickly leave after grabbing his pics by spilling coffee on his shirt & then asking him to take off his shirt until eventually drying it in the balcony. Naturally, all this makes David very suspicious & uncomfortable. Diego happens to have a lot of books that were banned by the communist regime. Also, the artwork & pics in his home make David very suspicious. When David reports this to his comrade at the university, the latter convinces the former to visit Diego again & collect more evidence about his anti-revolutionary activity. In this process, however, David & the viewer realize that Diego is actually a very nice guy who is extremely well-read. He is religious(!), cultured, educated & intelligent. But in the communist Cuba of the 1970s, he feels like an outsider with no freedom to express himself or live the way that he wants to. He's even being pushed out of his own country against his will! Towards the end, the viewer can't help but love him for his good heart & his commitment to his true individuality. Notice how gentle he is with Nancy when she tries to commit suicide & how he sets up the other two protagonists with each other all the while being in love with David! He even confesses it all in the end, even though David doesn't tell Diego about his initial motives!
3) Nancy- A fallen woman with a heart of gold, she is a vigilant but she does not tell on Diego because he is a good friend to her. This makes David realize that even in a police state, two people with very different beliefs can be friends. She likes David & badly wants the relationship to work.
This is a coming-of-age story where along with David, even the viewer feels enlightened. The light-hearted manner in which this film effectively deals with severe political, social & personal crises is commendable. In conclusion, the autocratic communist regime notwithstanding, the viewer gets to see that this beautiful country has wonderful people with enough fortitude to always prevail through it all!
The direction is top-notch & all the actors did an excellent job. I was particularly impressed by Jorge Perugorría. What a brilliant actor!