Uma Noite

I had the privilege to watch this film at Berlinale 2012, and afterward to hear a Q and A with some of the actors, as well as one of the cinematographers and the director.

I really enjoyed this film. I found the story gripping, the actors convincing (especially considering they were previously untrained)and the overall film kept me hooked. In particular i felt the film showed a great balance between following the story while also managing to include a lot of street shots showing regular people doing regular things. I liked the way this was blended into the story, but didn't detract from it at all. Something else i think deserves a mention is the music and sound engineering. For a low budget film i found it superb. Not only was the music well chosen, and fitting for the scenes changes, but the overall audio presentation was great (this may have been partly due to the theater we were in though).

I really enjoyed this film, it showed me how much some people want to come to the United States so bad. I understand why because they want a better life. But are they really getting a better life? They have to start over loose all there stuff and just hope that they will eventually get back up on their feet. My favorite thing about this movie was probably how it showed so many really nice scenes of the water and the only thing I disliked was a part of the plot. I did not like Elio's sister at all. She should not have even been a character. Her role has a slight effect on the movie but she seemed to ruin everything for Elio and Raul. You can tell that this film is not American by the way that the movie ends. It is a very harsh ending that most people do not seem to get unless if looked upon closely. In fact the ending of the film was the only part I did not full comprehend, if I was not for I my teacher I would have left the room thinking there was a decently happy ending.

I was delighted to attend the world premier of Una Noche at the Berlin Film Festival. I loved it, and judging from the audience's reaction, it went down very well.

Mulloy's cinematography feels very modern and sleek. The film has a high-budget feel, but I imagine the real budget was surprisingly small, and working in Cuba will no doubt present endless challenges to the director's artistic vision. The technique of montaging-in seemingly unrelated shots into fairly simple scenes definitely builds up a complex and rich background portrayal of Cuba, deeply aesthetic in nature. I'd say this technique works pretty well.

The film's real strength, however, is in its acting. All three lead characters have a brilliantly simply and very human chemistry, which Mulloy captured expertly. This is definitely a film about human relationships, not politics, and so appeals to the heart instead of the head. The plot works on a very simple premise, but that seems fitting. This is a very Cuban film - intellectually unsophisticated, but rich in heart and down-to-earth observations. Earthy, if you will.

The bold decision to set sail in the middle of the film splits it into two parts: a very colourful and vibrant portrayal of life (both good and bad) on dusty Cuba, and a bluey-grey abstract half which is both open and claustrophobic. In both parts, it is the acting which really prevails. The pacing was always good - with the film remaining relatively constant, as opposed to a fast-slow-fast-slow etc affair.

I left the cinema feeling as though Mulloy had not set out to impart a message, but rather to observe and tell a story. The film is surprisingly apolitical in its stance, given what it portrays and the subject matter itself. I'd say this film is classic storytelling mixed with a rich insight into Cuba. Maybe I'll go there for myself one day to see what it's like!

It is an American movie about Cubans. It seemed to me, the director did a research for years in La Havana just to confirm and show what she had in her mind previously. The movie lacks of Cuban heart. At times, she depicts La Havana as if it was a slum in India, Brazil or Haiti. A place full of poor people, without any support from any State. Where the State is just an oppressive machine. Cuba is full of contrasts, and each one who goes there, or lives theres, or was born there, looks into different aspects. The director, was not able or did not want to move her point of view, into something less conventional.

It is a country that lies only 90 miles outside of U.S. borders but decades of political discord have kept the story of Cuba from American eyes. 'Una Noche' the feature film debut of British director Lucy Mulloy, tells the story of three brave, and daring teens who venture to cross the treacherous ocean and prevail against a fate of poverty and injustice.

The cinematography is stirring and captivating. The performances are natural and engaging. Mulloy is a brilliant director who presents a seamless motion picture, tenderly and candidly.

The harsh and bleak trappings of scarcity as well as the joy of family and friends play as the background to a cleverly written love triangle. Adrenaline fuels the urgency of the characters' desperation.

As a viewer you feel as though your passport has been stamped. You've received an all expense paid trip to the pain and the paradise of the communist island nation.

It is a film like no other. You hold your breath and pray for the shore line to be merciful --- and edge closer.