Customer Reviews

Guantanamera

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent movie, full of subtleties and innuendos as well as forthright commentary. As with everything Cuban, you can't escape the political: in fact, it is the political which provides the backdrop in this film. When the man in charge of a funeral home in Havana proposes a new system (with his own political goals in mind) for transporting the deceased to their final resting place, he sees his plan put to the test when his wife's aunt passes away--on the other side of the island. His efforts to accomplish her move back to Havana--and his funny and ultimate failure to do so--provide the social commentary on what happens to the brightest ideas when undertaken under a dogmatic system. It also provides the parallel for the movie's dramatic subplot: his wife's misgivings about her choices in life--marrying her current husband, leaving her teaching job, etc. As we see her marriage fail along the way (along with her husband's plan), and a new love enter her life, we begin to understand the message: sometimes it is individuality--and not the common good of the revolution--that affords the best solution. The script was wonderful, the acting superb, the editing on the mark. At turns funny, sad, academic, farcical, the movie should have gotten an academy award. But alas, it hails from Cuba, and what a pleasant surprise to see such a high quality--and self-critical-- product come out of there.

This week I saw "American Beauty" at the movie theater and then, for the second time, the video of "Guantanamera". Very different flicks...one set in suburban America and the other in the countryside of Cuba. However, there is a common theme in both of how couples, stuck in loveless marriages, finally learn to change their fates. While "American Beauty" is the better movie, there is no doubt that "Guantanamera", undoubtedly shot on a very limited budget, is a gem of a film and well worth watching.

Respectfully disagree with one of the prior reviewer's comments that "gringos"..."cannot appreciate the movie". Well, any "gringo" over the age of 18 is going to understand the theme of "Guantanamera". Then, again, was the reviewer perhaps referring to "gringos" not understanding the depiction of officialdom in Cuba. Anyone who has dealt with a self important, controlling boss or govenment official, is going to understand the portrait of the real jerk of an official in this film. Without giving away the plot, the context of the movie is that a minor "apparachik" is dictating cross island burials by hearse relay...sounds somber but is really quite funny as the "master plan" falls apart. Add to this humor a great assortment of characters, beautiful love stories, and a wonderful Cuban music soundtrack, and you have quite a treat.

When our family sat down to watch Guantanamera we all new the Cuban song from the beggining. Watching this was like going back to Cuba when we traveled across the land. Switching Cars people selling banannas, No road signs, just plain Cuba. The actors in the movie did a great job portraying Cubans. Because you may not believe that's the way real Cubans act, unless your Cuban, but it's what we are really like.

I rated this movie a Four Star because the movie has great laughs for "Cubanos y Gringos". All the irony with cars meeting, people dieing, well I don't want to ruine it for you. But Watch the Movie whether you buy or rent. You'll enjoy it!

A hearse-led road trip across Cuba's lush tropical countryside and cluttered urban areas is the main plot element in "Guantanamera." Yoyita, a famed ex-patriot, returns to her homeland after many years to be celebrated for her triumphs away from home. She dies suddenly, in the arms of a former lover, now old like her, but nonetheless still enamored. On her death, Candido (the old gentleman) joins Yoyita's niece Gina and her communist comrade husband on a trip to bury her aunt in an Havana cemetary. The characters they meet along the way are finely etched - full of pathos and humor, and real as real can possibly be. The road trip becomes an endless series of folly and error, with dual caskets, broken down cars, and a host of characters who somehow dovetail in and out of each other's lives. In the end, Gina find redemption in the arms of another man - a former student who is inexplicably traveling the same stretch of road. And throughout, the song "Guantanamera" (Girl from Guantanamo) is lyrically molded to suit the story, becoming part of the script in ingenious ways. A lovely film, for all audiences - in any language - this is an example of the great Cuban cinema's powerhouse director Tomas Gutierez Alea, and stands as a triumph of spirit, love and passion much like other love stories that have been told in English over the years. Solid acting, and scenes of heartwrenching sadness are etched against the inexplicable beauty that remains on the island, despite its dilapidated state. See it and enjoy!

I visited Cuba in December '98 and was so impressed with the Cuban people and their ingenuity. This movie is a comedy that depicts everyday life for Cubans and their struggles with the overly-bureaucratic, centrally-planned economy. Its a story about a funeral procession of sorts that begins in Guantanamo and ends up in Havana. With a few mishaps along the route, the love story between Candido and Yoyita and the other one between Gina and Mariano does a great job of bringing it all together. The best foreign film I've ever had the pleasure of seeing - and I'm not just saying that because I'm Cuban. SEE IT!!

As much as I loved "Fresa Y Chocolate" (Strawberry & Chocolate), I love this one even more. The script is superior, and we have the opportunity to meet a wider range of characters, with equally brilliant casting and filming.

If you have seen "Fresa Y Chocolate", then you already love Mirtha Ibarra and Jorge Perugorría. If not, then you will after having seen this film.

If Cheech & Chong, the Marx Brothers & Woody Allen had all collaborated, they couldn't have come up with a film more irreverent, more bitingly satirical, or more delicious with both romance and irony.

And speaking of irony, it seems both impossible that such a film could have come from Cuba in the 1990's, and yet equally impossible for it to have come from any other place. For we have been told, on the one hand, that such burlesque of the Cuban government is not tolerated. Yet, it has always seemed to me that the greatest art arises from the greatest suffering. And Cuba is one of the world's greatest examples of this paradox of human nature. For few nations have suffered as much as the people of Cuba have suffered through out her entire history. And yet, from that island emerges the most beautiful music on earth, and now this!!!

Do yourself a big favor: Don't miss this film!!!

Filmmakers Tomás Gutiérrez & Juan Carlos Tabio made 'Guantanamera' almost back-to-back with 'Fresa y Chocolate' (Strawberry and Chocolate), and that's how I recommend you view them - rent/buy them as a pair and watch them chronologically, 'Fresa' first.

First, there's the thrill of seeing Mirtha Ibarra and Jorge Perugorría in repeating appearanences, portraying vastly different characters. Of special note is Perugorría's demonstrated range and acting ability. I spent the first half-hour of Guantanamera thinking "That just can't be the same guy."

It was. Amazing stuff.

Also, the film itself presents a take on Cuban life that, while patently absurd to any American, no doubt rings all too true with anyone who has experienced life under Fidel's heavy thumb. Taken together, these two films represent 3 hours of what movies are all about: for me, they were enjoyable and educational; for the filmmakers, they scored a direct hit on the target of their disdain and sarcasm.

It's a very beautiful movie about how a Cuban family deals with the death and prepare for a funeral. At the same time they celebrate the joy of life by rediscovering love. This film shows the traditional Cuba with it's picturesque landscapes, it's beautiful and innovative people and the world-famous Cuban music.

The last movie that Cuban director, Tomás Gutiérrez managed to put together alongside his partner, Juan Carlos Tabio, before his death, Guantanamera pretty much can be considered a road movie, but with a very peculiar twist. Irony, an exquisite sense of the most Cuban humor and an important dose of reality can be found in this production, that came only one year after their super-successful "Strawberry and Chocolate," with repeating stars, Mirta Ibarra and Jorge Perugorría, who proved how versatile of an actor he could be: playing a gay character on the first one and a straight macho man on this one. Check it out. You will find it delightful and refreshing. I just give it four stars because it does fall short compared to S&C, its predecessor.

I can't say from personal experience how truly this film depicts Cuba, but from what my parents say, it's close. The characters drew me into the story. This is a love story, a sad story, a fantasy - there's a lot to it. Unlike so many American films, I didn't catch the same old cliches or tired gimmicks (like a bunch of bikinis to add "interest").

This movie pays attention to the details, and you will, too. It's enough to have made me contact a travel agency about a trip to Havana. I almost believe I might run into Georgina [Martha Ibarre] shopping...