Customer Reviews

Butterflies on the Scaffold [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been to Cuba a number of times, and I find this documentary informative and exciting because, like "Strawberries and Chocolate," it shows a side of Cuban society the ordinary visitor is unlikely to see. Here, in a large-scale housing development for construction workers and their families just outside of Havana, a popular Saturday night form of entertainment is a variety show put on by a group of amateur performers -- in drag! Their costumes are colorful and sexy, and their lip-syncing and movements convey an intensity and variety of emotional interpretation that create a moving rapport with their audiences. What makes the film especially affecting, though, is the interweaving of interviews with the performers, who in "real" life engage in a variety of occupations, and with family members who have struggled to understand and accept this aspect of the lives of a son, a brother, even a father. It is a revelation to see this occurring openly in a country that only recently frowned on any manifestations of homosexuality.

A fascinating true-life story of how a determined troupe of drag performers in a "model socialist town" in macho Cuba not only made a name and a business for themselves while operating a nightclub cantina and providing locals with great entertainment, but became accepted as a part of the fabric of daily life in modern Cuba. A compelling insight into a Cuba most Americans don't know exists, with a Spanish music soundtrack to die for.

This documentary is a treat! It has something about the internal politics of Cuba. It has something about being poor in an urban setting. It has something about the lives of drag queens. It has something about Latin American culture and mores. And it is all tied together in a neat and charming package that is moving, funny, sad, and thought provoking. I loved it.

This is a one hour long documentary that friviously combines homosexuality with totalitarian propaganda. Cannot be compared to "Strawberries and chocolate"