Lista de espera

Cuban film about passengers stranded at a rural bus stop waiting for either a bus to Santiago or a bus to Habana. Alongside a beautiful blue sea in a tropical paradise it is actually a dreary world under Communism. Only in dreams is there Utopia. To believe anything else is false. That's one of the themes here. Another theme is people in a crappy situation making the best of it. Resilience. But there's the one bugger who wants to stick to the party line and ruin it for all. But the citizens get through it with good times, laughter and love. Nice twist at the end brings all this into focus. An ensemble cast without any real standouts -- great direction brings it all together so very nicely. Recommended for fans of foreign cinema not to mention for a glimpse into life in Cuba.

7.0 / 10 stars

--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

It is a simple movie pleasant and well directed. Fresh air: a collective dream where the characters give the best of themselves.You feel criticism and meanwhile deep hope in potentialities of Cuba society.

I perceived something of Bunuel's films here, but without his cynism. 'Lista de espera' is a naive movie worth to see.

I have never been to Cuba and I don't know that much about it either, especially not about their cinema. So, when I saw that this movie was on television I immediately taped it. I've seen it now and it left me with a double feeling. I liked it, but not as much as I expected. I loved the subtle critics that it gave on Castro's bureaucratic regime and it gives a very good idea on what Cuba's society must be like with its economic problems and helpful people who have learned to live with all the difficulties in their country.

A group of people has to stay in a bus station because the only bus that the station has, broke down. You'll see a young lady who wants to marry a Spanish businessman to get out of Cuba, a man who pretends to be blind because of the many advantages handicapped people get, an egoist and fat man with food stored when the other passengers have nothing to eat, the extremist public servant who looks only for the directives and not for a solution for all the difficulties...

What I didn't like that much about the movie was it's pace. I thought it was a bit slow... from time to time much wasn't happening, but perhaps that was exactly what the director was looking for. Perhaps this is how he wanted to show us the boredom of these people.

All in all it isn't a bad movie. This isn't a comedy that will make you laugh out loud, but it sure will make you smile several times and it gives you an insight on what Cuba is like. I give it a 6.5/10.

The comedy gives some ideas of the economical problems in Cuba, its objective and subjective difficulties to solve them. The passengers awaiting for a bus, which never comes, got slept and all dream the same thing. In that dream they decided to paint and to restore the terminal, and some couple had time to fall in love. The society is well shown, a young lady trying to go marry a Spanish businessman, a young man dreaming better life, a blind man who is not blind, an egoist and fat man with food stored when the other passengers have nothing to eat, a lady looking for herbs to prepare beverage for everyone, an inmigrant from Canary Islands who loves Cuba as his motherland, a couple with problems (more economical than any other) of living together,a very serious and responsible administrator of the terminal and the extremist who looks only for the directives and not for solving the difficulties. If you want to have a small idea of Cuba you may like to see this film.

I woke up this morning with a hangover and decided to watch this film that I had recorded many months ago. What a good decision that turned out to be! It is simply a wonderful movie. It is funny, romantic and inspiring. The less you know about the story the better. I want to read the book now.