Customer Reviews

Habana Blues

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

 

 

I saw this movie for the first time when I was visiting Spain in the Summer of 2005 (it was in theatres there at the time). It was such an amazing movie that I've been waiting for its release in the US since then. The movie is (for once) a really accurate and truly touching depiction of life in Cuba (minus a few drag queens). The daily struggle of life in Cuba is presented really sincerely and there are so many little details that people who grew up in Cuba will recognize and appreciate (like the bicycle with 2 extra rigged seats). But it is the complexity of the decisions that each character must make and the character's relationships with each other that really make this movie touching and worthwhile.
Many people that are not from Cuba don't really understand how difficult it is not just to live there but to leave there. For many people, myself included, Cuba is my home and not being able to even visit is like having a part of my soul missing. This movie illustrates that connection that Cubans feel without being overly dramatic and over the top.
The first time that I went to watch the movie I was skeptical. I thought that it was going to be another movie that wrongfully depicted Cuba and I thought I would hate it. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. This movie is so close to my heart. Everytime I watch the movie I have an absolutely emotional reaction because one of the final scenes of the movie reminds me of something that actually happened to me as a child (when I was leaving Cuba) and it truly touched me in a way that few things have been able to. If you aren't from Cuba, you may not have as dramatic a reaction as I have, but it is still definitely worth watching.

This first and foremost a fun, emotive,a nd well made film. It is also a great start for anyone who wishes to understand the paradoxes of modern Cuba.

Compare it to "Buena Vista Social Club", which is an inevitable analogue, and you get a more dramatic, albeit less idealistic project.

All in all, more than worth watching. My wife will be teaching it to her students (college-level kids) and it is also very well suited for that.

Good music, good acting, good story about two friends and their search for fame as rock musicians. Will they stay in Cuba or go to Spain? ENJOY!
Pamela Collett, Oakland California

Ruy and Tito are two young musicians trying to make it in Cuba. They are presented a new opportunity when some Spanish record biz people show up. But the two friends find themselves facing a difficult choice when the contract offered requires them to record some anti-government songs which would prevent them from ever returning to their country.

It's hard to make a high quality "up and coming rock band" movie. But this film succeeds brillantly. This is partly because the original music played by the band is suprisingly good and the actors come across as serious and talented musicians. The depiction of life in Cuba seems realistic and the film accurately reflects the economic hardships faced by Cuban citizens without explicitly commenting on Castro himself.

My wife is originally from Ecuador and we watch alot of Spanish language films. But this has to be one of the better ones I've seen.

This is a marvelous film about young people living in today's Cuba. It handles the subject matter with care and honesty, without descending into sentimentality. Although funny at times, this movie is not a comedy. Real life contradictions abound -- these people suffer and struggle, but at the same time have conflicted feelings about the possibility of leaving their home. Their relationships are what makes this movie come to life. The characters are fully fleshed out, and the acting is great. The music may surprise some -- it is cuban-style rock and roll, not Salsa.

My wife, whose family fled Cuba when she was an infant, thoroughly enjoyed the movie. She was moved by the depiction of the struggles of Cubans living on the island.

Unfortunately, I cannot give this disc 5 stars. It is non-anamorphic, something very surprising for a disc released in 2007. The subtitles are "hard-coded" -- that is, you cannot turn them off (even if you speak Spanish.) And the special features are in Spanish, with no subtitles or alternate language track.

Interesting movie that shows a real face of Havana and it's people, daily struggle for work, money, live your dreams, the land line phone shared with a whole block of tenants - a lot of things that we don't appreciate in our society. I think that this movie make us review our life priorities and importance of simple pleasures in life.....