¿Quién diablos es Yuliet?

This doc won a lot of awards, largely, I think, because it's 'different,' in that it doesn't follow the usual narrative arc of documentary film-making. Its greatest achievement, in my mind, is that it doesn't rely on the usual rogue's gallery of talking heads that consume three-quarters of most documentaries.

Depending on your mood, 'Who the Hell, etc.' can be engaging and even dazzling. Some of the cinematography, particularly around Havana's iconic Malecon seawall, is spectacular. When I discovered that Mexican director Carlos Marcovich is a music video specialist, why was I not surprised? The film is loaded with signature cinematography that appeals to the MTV mobs: panorama shots, razzle-dazzle hand-held work, fast cuts and clips, alternating black&white/colour, faces that suddenly appear and speak, five different locations (we're not sure at one point if we're in Mexico City or Havana), and a 'story line' that is often confusing.

Juliette is, in 1995, a 16-year-old Havana prostitute who is a study in contrasts. Her mother died violently when she was two years old, and her father left for the U.S. a year earlier. She is a child of the streets who can be be endearingly playful yet often irritating; she mixes delightful youthfulness with a maturity beyond her years. Toward the end of the film, she finally goes to Mexico City to visit her father Victor, whom she has not seen since she was a year old. Needless to say, it's an awkward reunion.

This can be interesting film, particularly when the often-impish Juliette tries to explain her philosophy of being. In the end, we can answer the question 'Who is Juliette?' by saying, 'We're not really sure because she doesn't know who she is herself, but she's trying'.

A huge let-down on the DVD extras is a 2006 update on Juliette, replete with footage of an ailing Fidel Castro. But it's entirely in Spanish, with no subtitles, and my rudimentary knowledge of the language left me befuddled. It was a huge -- and insulting -- mistake by the distributors, who had no trouble providing full subtitles for the film itself. This often happens with extras on DVDs -- crucial subtitles are missing. It's inexcusable.

I was introduced to this film by a friend of mine. What drew me to

the story, more than anything, was the theme of fatherless young

women. I, too, was a fatherless young woman up until last

November when I finally met my biological father--a physics

professor from Venezuela.

Fabiola, the beautiful Mexican model, and Yuliet, the beautiful,

sassy and broken sixteen year old prostitute from Cuba are

amazing to watch. Both young women grew up without knowing

their biological fathers and carry emotional baggage and pain

locked up in their hearts. Although, the subject matter of child

prostitution, despair and intense identity crisis seem heavy, the

film is funny and uplifting. It also is emotionally rich and may very

well make you cry. I found myself wishing the best for both young

women. Their beauty and strength of character really struck a

chord in my heart. Thank you to the director and the young women

who brought so much to this story.

This documentary provides an interesting insight into the lives of two very different young women. One (Yuliet) gives us a glimpse of the harsh reality of the life of a young prostitute growing up in Havana Cuba. The other (Fabiola) is an aspiring model on location while shooting a video. While very different, the two share many similarities in that both are young, beautiful, and have had difficult (at best) relationships with their fathers and men in general. These difficulties combined with the dysfunctional nature of their family lives (particularly Yuliet) results in a documentary that delves into the neurosis, depression , and isolation that results from these problems. The movie makes a case for the statement: All men are self-centered, selfish, uncaring jackasses.

This history is singular. About a Cuban model and her context. A kind of crazy movie. A person who has seen it can think that it´s very creative and unusual; but those people who have seen "Crumb!" (1994), know that Marcovich´s idea was not as creative as it seems. "Quién diablos es Juliette?" it´s fine, but not unique in its gender. "A quién diablos quiso plagiar?".

WHO THE HELL IS JULIETTE? is a flimsy premise for a film, however it certainly demonstrates how an astute director can present a non-linear story with a maximum of artistic beauty and emotional warmth. Carlos Marcovich has created a most unusual quasi-documentary about the making of one of his music videos in Cuban during the early 1990's. To ramp up the sex appeal for this nondescript power ballad, he included sultry fashion model, Fabiola Quiroz. And, while in the process of filming, they met a quirky gamine by the name of Yuliet Ortega who is every bit as sexy. WHO THE HELL IS JULIETTE? meanders through the histories and back stories of the principle characters, and haphazardly reveals their personalities. And, also the movie examines the lives of people who just happen to wander by as the film is being shot. Much of the movie is gorgeously photographed on location in Havana, and the sun, sky, sex, and sea blend to create a heady concoction more potent than a very strong Cuba Libre. Yuliet is a real life character like nothing that has been seen on film. Probably she is a prostitute, but has such a bright and irreverent personality, that is is nearly impossible not to fall for her charms. She is equal parts smoldering sex siren, and headstrong and intransigent adolescent, and although she lives a very complicated life in an infamous Cuban barrio, she seems to give as good as she gets. WHO THE HELL IS JULIETTE? probably will offend as many viewers as it captivates, but I found the film a refreshing and spirited look at very low budget, almost tacky, tropical hedonism.