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Viva Cuba (2005)
Viva Cuba challenges preconceived notions at every turn
With Cuba having been hidden behind an almost impenetrable veil of isolation and politics for the past 60 years, Viva Cuba provides American audiences with a unique insight into Cuban society. Rather than repeat ploy summaries already mentioned in other reviews, my focus instead will be on its implications for American film-goers in particular. This is approached from the perspective that the majority of Americans have a very limited knowledge of Cuban politics, immigration policies, and the island nation's economic history over the past 20 years.
Having spent much of my life in the Miami area during the 80s and 90s it can be accurately assumed that my vision of Cuba is tinted by the international politics of the region's Cuban exile community. This is not to say that either side is right or wrong but simply a statement that when I envision freedoms in Cuba it is much different than what is portrayed in this movie. For example, when Malú's Mother is talking to her fiancé on the phone an American would assume that her line is tapped and that her statement that she hates Cuba because "
everything is illegal here" would result in her arrest. However, that is the furthest thing from the case. After Malú and Jorgito disappear the authorities are incredibly courteous and helpful. The simple fact that two small children can travel unimpeded for over 650 miles across Cuba. This is an amazing feat in and of itself. It also challenges the commonly held notion that travel is severely restricted and a network of omniscient eyes are watching your movements at all times.
Another challenge to the existing paradigms about Cuban society is that of the government's immigration policies. The process of women marrying men in other countries in order to leave Cuba is central not just this film but also Juan Carlos Tabío's 2000 "Lista de Espera". Coming from an area where many of the recent Cuban arrivals risked their lives in any makeshift floating device they could find, the immigration policies in these movies are certainly a revelation. In fact, a quick Google search shows thousands of websites in both English and Spanish providing legal advising on this process. The paradigm that states that immigration is only possible through defection or sailing north to the Florida Keys is clearly inaccurate.
Viva Cuba also provides some interesting insights into the economic conditions of modern Cuba that may or may not be based in reality. With the collapse of the Soviet Union the Cuban economy virtually collapsed in on itself. Known in Cuba as the "Special Period", these years represent some of the bleakest moments in the island's recent history. The island had become an import-based economy relying on its sugar and tobacco production to provide all of its basic good. With their greatest trading partner gone the Cubans people faced their biggest crisis to that point. With the worst years of Cuba's "Special Period" lasting from 1991-1995 the effects are, by all accounts, still being felt to this day. However, in the movie "Viva Cuba" one would not know that the island's economy had collapsed a decade earlier. While the buildings are certainly old and have seen better days, other scenes challenge our views of Cuba. Most notably is when we see Malú and Jorgito on the busy road. New, modern cars and trucks whiz by. The old clunker from the 1950s that eventually stops to give them a ride seems almost anachronistic, as though this is a relic of a by-gone Cuba. The long, panoramic shots of the two children walking on beaches with sunsets in the background almost seem to be taken from a tourism bureau's collection of stock footage. A message is being portrayed here and this is the economic troubles are over, Cuba has entered the new millennium, and it is open for your tourist dollars.
Whether we view this movie as an endearing tale of love, friendship and struggle or we view this movie for its insights into a society closed to most Americans the fact remains that this is an excellent movie. Sure, the special effects are not on par for the majority of jaded American film goers. The acting tends toward almost "telenovela"-esque histrionics at times. However, in the end this is a charming movie worthy of any viewer without regard to their politics or geographical location.