Guantanamera

The movie seems ambitious in its elements - a satire of bureaucratic Cuba (via the red tape associated with cross-country funeral delivery arrangements), frequent broad comedy (mainly in the truck driver's entanglements with his various women), much romantic wistfulness as the old man deals with a life largely wasted through lack of courage and Gina realizes the aridity of her marriage to Alonzo, within which her own creativity is stifled; the economic and cultural diversity of Cuba sketched in bits and pieces along the way. As executed, the overall framework for all of this - that of a loosely structured road movie - sets the tone more fully than might have been advisable: the rhythm reflects the leisurely procession along the road and the jauntily resigned renditions of the title song, which makes for good but not very provocative entertainment. The film seems to look back more than forward, with a pervasive sense of quiet nostalgia and regret about it, although there's also a gentle postivism that things can be overcome (with no thanks to the political infrastructure, it subtly suggests).

Guantanamera, a Cuban light drama by accomplished director Tomas Gutierrez Alea (1928-1996), is a tropical road movie. The setting is the 1990s, following withdrawal of USSR support for its little-brother Communist regime. A woman dies, some distance removed from Havana, and the goal is to transport her to the capital for burial. A tiny entourage of family accompanies the hearse.

Some snippets, though not central to the plot: How do government-run funeral homes work exactly, in a Communist country? Well, first, there is a per-person quota of refreshments for the bereaved and acquaintances who are paying last respects. But doesn't this attract inauthentic freeloaders? Second, there is a scene involving a meeting of regional mortuary-manager bureaucrats. If travel expenses for hearse trips are allocated according to the relative mileage of the territories through which vehicles traipse, the funeral home functionary in a crossroads region takes more than her share of budgetary hits. Is that fair? Third, there is the question of why the burial in Havana in the first place. If everybody and everywhere in Cuba are socialistically equal, what's wrong with the deceased staying put where she was? Meanwhile, we also have organized hitchhiking. Officials have the power to commandeer vacant seats from those who have for those who need.

There is some Latino romance, and some lightly subversive free enterprise. All in all, a likable movie. Mirta Ibarra, who starred twelve years earlier in Alea's 1983 film, Up To a Certain Point, gets an encore. She plays the niece of the deceased, who is also the wife of the over-serious Daniel Ortega-looking official who's in charge of the expedition.

Hearing the word Guantanamera, a word surge raced through my mind; Cuba, Guantanamo prison, Guatemala, or one of the most common Latin American songs? What could it be? I wondered. It is not much of the above but a sound track to a road movie Guantanamera, a death and love story.

In matters pertaining to birth, death and burial, people may not choose the place of birth or death, but they chose where they want to be buried. And this becomes a central issue in this road movie. It portrays the core values of a typical traditionalist Cuban family in a socialist country. It is for this reason that a dead body gets flown either out of state or country for burial. A song (Guantanamera), well spiced and crafted to fit each and every moment and character plays throughout the movie. This movie exposes the economics of a socialist run country. Road side vendors price their items in dollars. This suggests the instability of the national currency (possibly inflation).

When Gina puts on a new dress and let her hair run loose, it symbolizes self discovery and a sense of freedom. For the first time in this movie, she stands up to her husband and tells him that the days of subordination are over, she would not take off her dress. But also this could or symbolize people who live under a communist run regime, that there is limited freedom of choices. Those who are fed up of the system migrate, or export themselves to America through illegal means.

The directors did a great job in telling the general public about the flaws of a communist run country; corruption, dilapidating buildings and failed economy. Also the directors employed an excellent editing technique MONTAGE. Gina paces up and down and finally walks away from the funeral and finds comfort and love in Mariano. Both Gina and Mariano ecstatically share a smile and laughter whilst the funeral is still in procession. The MONTAGE suggests the anguish of people in Cuba go through in deserting their beloved country in search of freedom and better life.

When his wife's aunt dies, mortician Adolfo uses the opportunity to show his political talent by trying out a new, very „communist` way of transporting the body. On the way, lots of different things happen to him, the dead body, his wife and the aunt's mourning admirer, and Adolfo is close to getting mad because he fears he won't be able to realize his time schedule. His character is good for a smile.

The Cuban film „Guantanamera` wants to be everything: comedy, romance and a satire on the communist system in Cuba. It's half-baked but ... nice. And I was surprised about the actors: they did a good job and obviously they enjoyed it.

As pure entertainment, the film does seem scattered and unfocused. However, it packs in many social, political and cultural messages on different levels. For instance, as the characters enter Bayamo, we hear a tour guide telling of Bayamo as historical center for smuggling and how this motivated rebellious action against colonial Spain. I took this as a commentary about present-day Cuba. The film is filled with metaphors, starting, of course, with the plot: a former economics teacher falls in love with a trucker and leaves her crass, heartless, bureaucrat husband. To really enjoy this movie, you have to understand that it is a report on the state of the country, and the characters and plot serve to veil documentary as movie fiction. Knowledge about recent Cuban history certainly helps understanding the movie, though, and you may want to see other films or read about present-day Cuba first.