Cuba libre

I saw this film and heard the writer-director, Juan Gerard, speak at the Santa Barbara Int'l Film Festival.

All I knew about it was that it was the story of an 8-year-old boy at the time of the Cuban Revolution in 1958 and how it affects his home and family.

Its opening scene will bring to mind "Cinema Paradiso". In fact, the film is filled with references to classic films: The Roulette Wheel (Casablanca), "chicken clucking" (Rebel Without a Cause), references to Bunuel, "Touch of Evil"; you'll find more. The homeless man (Georg Stanford Brown)is a reference to Cuban folklore which often uses a black man as a type of Greek chorus.

What this film really is is the culmination of a dream. Gerard's wish to honor his family and medium of film that he has loved all of his life.

This is the true story of Juan Gerard and all the people in it are real,as are the events depicted. Gerard is actually an architect and engineer (and passionate film lover) but his dream was to make this movie. He and his wife decided to live that dream and Harvey Keitel became an "angel" who believed in Gerard and agreed to produce and star in it. Keitel holds the screen powerfully as the mysterious and secretive grandfather "Che". Brown and Keitel are the only Americans in the cast. Iben Hjejle (High Fidelity) and Gael Garcia Bernal (Y tu Mama Tambien) offer strong support in key roles.

Truthfully, the first half of the film suffers from stiff delivery of lines, and some overracting, but stay with it. The last half is much better as the events of the revolution combine for the bittersweet, and honest climax. It is the first effort of Juan Gerard, but it is honest as he is and his passion and heart really come through,in this sincere first effort. I would definitely see it again, and hope that he continues his film career.

Harvey Keital's best performance so far the new century. Very nicely photographed, a beautiful snap-shot of pre-Castro Cuba. The story revolves around the nephew of a local minor crime boss who develops a friendship with an American with Hollywood connections. It's really about the moment when a boy awakens to the fact that the small circle of people he knows actually live in a much larger, much more complex world that he doesn't yet understand.the script is strong and filled with humor, the direction is crisp. Over all, a really professional job that fits in well with the tradition of Latin American cinema. The one weakness is the decision to shoot in sync-sound English rather than Spanish - probably to improve sales in the US. Unfortunately, this just makes the film a little less convincing. But if you can see beyond this, you will find a heartfelt trip to another world. Recommended.

I felt this is a very good and well made movie that focuses on and revolves around the life of a 12 year old Cuban boy who in the movie is known as "the boy". This movie reminds me a lot of Two Bits, starring Al Pacino and Jerry Barone as the grandfather and his grandson. This has that same type of poignant, nostalgic affection for the mysteries of childhood, all framed around a story of a boy coming of age in a Cuba right on the cusp of losing it's traditional old ways and becoming a revolutionary state. Politics are incidental, this is a story of a boy who is obsessed with movies and is discovering love (for an adult woman).

It's a sweet, artfully filmed and directed movie starring Andhy Méndez, who was actually born in Havana, Cuba but immigrated to Miami when he was 5 years old. He then began his career as an actor and a model when he co-starred in the Mexican made telenovela Morelia (which was shot in Miami). Andhy still acts today and has been in many TV series and movies.

If you're expecting to learn something about History and the Cuban Revolution, this is not the movie you want to see. The movie focuses on the life of a boy and how the events of the revolution affect his wealthy family. Since the events of the revolution are unexplained it could give the sense to the viewer that what happened is not complex. There are subtle criticisms of both Batista and Fidel but they are also left unexplained. The US role is not even mentioned. For those that don't know Cuban History, there is different versions of what happened in Cuba (Cubans have one version and Cuban-Americans have another).

Rating

5 - 1 for NOT making the movie in Spanish - 1 for NOT making the movie in Cuba - 1 for the mistakes in acting or directing - 1 for simplistic storyline - 1 for the lack of historical background and explanation + 1 for Harvey Keitel's talent + 1 for Gael Garcia's talent + 1 for having Gael as a Revolutionary + 1 for original story + 1 for having well rounded characters and not making it a Good vs. Evil

= 5

Some of the historic events that are recognized by the great majority of historians that can help as background:

• Batista was a dictator that used torture and widely spread violence to protect his regime and the wealth of the elites. - Fidel Castro had the support of the great majority of Cubans at the time of the Revolution - The revolutionary government did execute about 400 of Batista's close allies. - The revolutionary government did expropriate all the belongings of the wealthy class in the name of the general wealth being.

Dreaming of Julia was the title of the original script, and was filmed in the summer of 2000 in Santo Domingo Republica Dominicana. To release the picture they change the original name to Cuba Libre. The director's cut was 3 and a half hours long. It was released on the festival of Bangkok in Thailand. It was the second film of Gael García Bernal (the first was Amores Perros)

and the first of Juan Gerard as a Director. In the poster the names of Diana Bracho and Cecilia Suares does not appear. Diana plays the grandmother and Cecilia the mother of the kid. They are great actresses and they keep the story together specially Diana. Check her out in other things you would be surprised.