Balseros

After the withdrawal of Russian support in 1994, things got harder in Cuba. Fidel allowed anyone who wanted to leave to go. Thousands built crude rafts and left. This Oscar nominated documentary tells the story of a few.

The U.S. Coast Guard was ordered to take rescued Cubans to Guantanamo until a decision could be made regarding their disposition.

The story of those who made a new life, with it's ups and downs, in the U.S., and the difficulties families faced due to the split, was fascinating.

Some make it, some don't. Marriages are broken up and children are born. The reality of life here is brought home forcefully.

Pro or anti doesn't matter. What matter is the tough times these people had trying to make it in a foreign country without education or language skills. Was their life really better?

This documentary is a gripping look at seven Cuban's daring escapes from their home country, and depressing US destinations. The movie beautifully portrays Cuba in a negative but wistful light, a light that seems all the better when the battered Cubans begin their bland new lives as Americans. Family drama overshadows the greater drama of the desperate exits from Cuba, but in the end nothing has changed. The little these people had in Cuba is eventually pined over when they are left with nothing in the US. An amazing but depressing film, Balseros shows us that the grass is always greener on the other side; except in America, where there is no grass left.

I missed this documentary when it ran for about two weeks at the Film Forum. I was hoping that it would resurface again, as was the case, when it was shown on cable not too long ago. Both film makers, Carlos Bosch and Jose Ma. Domenech must be commended for tackling the story about seven or eight "raft people" in pursuing their dream to go to the United States in search of a better life.

Cuba, after more of 45 years of communist rule, has been a monumental failure. I am sure that some people will argue that because the embargo and American policies toward that nation, things turned out the way they did. In the end one dictator was replaced by another. The paradise that was promised at the beginning of the revolution is still to be realized. In order to survive in Cuba today, one has to have either relatives abroad, or to belong to the inner circle. No one wants to face the reality that when Cuba was a Soviet Union colony, they could buy whatever it was needed, either on credit, or through gifts in way of oil and basic heavy machinery from its Russian bosses.

That a lot of the population wants to get out of the "tropical paradise" is no surprise. In the case of the people singled out in the documentary, only a few get to fulfill their dreams and get to live a modified "American Dream", while the other half failed miserably, maybe because the reality of the dream turned for them into a nightmare.

Of all the cases presented, only about three make something out of themselves. Their idea of how capitalism works is much more of whatever dreams they might have had. The reality of life in the United States, with its harsh realities, play havoc with a few of the new immigrants. That is the case of the former prostitute who turn into a drug dealer and the young black sculptor who gets involved with the wrong kind of crowd in New York.

This is a must see documentary that stays neutral neither in favor of the exodus, or against it.

Although its subject matter and characters are moving and dramatic, this Catalonian documentary seems a bit too planned to ring true, at least for me. A supposedly realistic account of the destiny of various Cubans –among thousands- who sailed from Havana to Florida in the early 1990's to escape Fidel Castro's regime, I find rather curious how the filmmakers move at ease from Havana to Guantánamo or Florida, and are always in the right place, at the right time. With the overt attitude of new conquistadors I have witnessed in many Spaniards' behavior in Latin America (which is one of the reasons I did not find the female character of "Y tu mamá también" as naïve as people seem to believe, but a true reflection of this neo-colonialist attitude I have directly observed), it makes me suspicious of the true intentions of this film, which I find more related to Spain's sensationalist publications and television programs than to real interest in the human drama of the Cubans' present situation. Due to the potentially explosive situations that may arise from this state of affairs, the film does not lack interesting segments and testimonies. But I believe that any film made about and in Cuba today will have similar impact. As an alternative, watch the Swedish documentary "Surplus."

This is a great documentary.

If it raises a question in your minds about Cuba vs the USA, just remember that in Cuba they have guards on the beach to stop people LEAVING, whilst in the USA the guards are there to stop people ARRIVING.

Cuban 'Balseros' can return to Cuba anytime - and under the agreement with the USA they will not be prosecuted nor imprisoned.

Life is hard in all countries - including the USA. I have traveled extensively in Cuba, and few Cubans have any illusions about life in America. 'Freedom' is not their main aim - rather it is an improvement to their economic lives. They want the OPPORTUNITY to better themselves and their children.