Barrio Cuba

Of all the Cuban movies than I have seen, this is by far the worst of all (and believe me, I have suffered many a bad one). Production values are so incredibly poor that you realize that the concept "cine pobre" that the director subscribes is just an excuse for an extreme lack of talent. From the content point of view, this movie also --like other Cuban productions-- asserts, in veiled but irrefutable ways, that Cubans, not Castro's revolution, are the culprits for the island terrible situation. Also, acting is very amateurish and the cinematography very old style. It's boring, repetitive, dogmatic, clichéd, and very, very passé (looks like a bad Brazilian movie from the 60's.)Don't waste your time or money on this abysmal and politically biased production.

This is an awful movie, on so many levels. Technically, it's simply inept; it is shot with little or no supplementary lighting, so the interior scenes appear muddy, with large areas of murky shadow. The colours generally are drab and washed out.

To call the script melodramatic is an understatement - any of these situations could have been transplanted from a low-budget soap. These filmmakers need to realise that getting the actors to cry a lot doesn't guarantee that the audience will, too. Embarrassed laughter was the main response at the showing I attended.

Finally, there is little that is uniquely Cuban about the the situations in this movie. Yes, it does show that life for the poor in Cuba is not wonderful, but it would have been better if the movie had explored more deeply *why* the situation of the characters is so desperate, and what it is about Cuba, its economy and its political situation that means that its people have to live that way.

I was looking forward to seeing this film, but I came away from it deeply disappointed; unfortunately, the good intentions which may have been behind it simply couldn't make up for an overwhelming lack of talent.

This is without doubt one of the worst films I have ever seen.

I was really looking forward to it after going to Cuba for the first time this summer and seeing the tough life people live there and being a fan of Humberto Solás' early work.

The acting is truly dreadful and the script is worse - with all the important plot information delivered to the viewer through hackneyed dialogue in the least discreet way possible. The music is incredibly abrasive, which given Cuba's bountiful supply of great musicians is inexcusable.

Very disappointing. It's hard to believe this is from the same director as Lucía.

I couldn't take my eyes off of this amazing movie. The acting was incredible; many times I forgot that it was acting at all, which is what I'm always hoping for, and hardly ever get. The situations were very gut-wrenchingly real, and no one had to explain the political situation to me for me to understand that poverty, hard work, family, sex and music define and shape the lives of these people. I don't know much about "production values", but honestly, who gives a ****? These actors out-did almost every Hollywood movie I've ever seen, and the stories were very poignantly told. People who "laugh embarrassedly" at the emotions displayed by the characters are probably numbed by their over-privileged American lives and unaware that in some other cultures, passionate emotions are much more commonly felt and seen. I woke up this morning still thinking about the characters.

We saw this film at April's Reel World Film Festival in Toronto having visited Havana in mid-March. Three unconnected stories of universal challenges for several Havana barrio residents. Strong characters deal with loneliness, unrequited December-July love, and family's support needs; mother's death in delivery,father's flight and despair,grandma's device to bolster abandoned son's self-esteem;passionate married couple deal with conception and stillbirth, grandparent's expectations, brother's family's emigration to US. Great editing and photography. Several interesting bits contrasted our Cuban experience (Part of our stay was in an all-inclusive resort) - In film some characters disparage fellow Cubans for seeking the tourist's tips and another mourns his lost grocery store business. Some resentment or jealousy, some distress with change, but more generally, accommodation and acceptance.