Customer Reviews

Viva Cuba

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I rented this DVD and then had to buy it. I teach High School Spanish and show my students movies sometimes that are about Spanish culture.
I have shown this movie in 2007 and 2008. My students loved it. They laughed out loud. They were not happy with the ending but that is typical of teenagers. They always want a happy ending. I have difficulty finding movies I can show because so many are R rated. This one is wonderful. I highly recommend it for any Spanish class.

This is one of the best films to come out of Cuba in a long time. The acting by the two young artists, Tarrau Broche and Milo Avila, is truly amazing. The music is superb and the scenery ratifies the exclamation of Christopher Columbus when he landed in Cuba: "The most beautiful land man has ever seen." Truly a work of art by director Juan Carlos Cremata. BRAVO! Rent it or buy it; you will not be disappointed.

Having never even read a review, we rented this film. It was wonderfully done , full of Cuba images and culture. The story centers around 2 children and their love and friendship. The adults play a smaller role but still strongly projected by the director. In a moment of desperation the two children run away as the adults around them do not acknowledge them. They do not feel that they have a choice but to flee to resolve the situation. Wonderful scenes of Cuba...amazing really!
I cried and laugh and caught a simple film full of heart and culture!

I have a mayority of Cuban students and although they didn't like the ending. open ended. But this is an excellent film, very human not political. I would suggest you see it and show it. The images are beautiful and it explains the problem of leaving your friends and family when you are 10 yrs old. You don't think about the future. Very little bad language and no images that you can't show. It is a story about friendship and you can have students have a discussion about friendship. I loved it and my students did also.

Malu and Jorgito were close friends despite their economical and political backgrounds. Malu's mother and Jorgito's mother were not on friendly terms becuase of their social and political differences. Malu's mother wanted her daughter to associate with people who were more upwardly mobile. She went through great lengths to ensure that her daughter would grow up to be a mature, young lady--English class, ballet, and piano. Jorgito's parents, although married, have marital problems. Jorgito's father is kept away from the family because of his job. And to make matters worse, he beats on his son to get him to be more masculine.
When Malu's grandmother dies, her mother is ready to get out of Cuba and start anew in another country. All she has to do is get her ex-husband to sign the permit to leave the country. Malu is saddened by this because she doesn't want to leave her friends and Jorge behind. Malu has to find her father so he won't sign the permit to leave the country.
Jorge and Malu go on a journey to find her father. Their relationship is tested when they visit various places and meet different people. They are determined to find Malu's father and stay together. Back home, the mothers, in their frantic state, have yet to find common ground and see that their children are compatible for each other.
This movie is great for all ages because it reveals the boundaries of friendship and what it means to be a child in a country that is strifed with political issues. Cuba is a beautiful country because the people make it a beautiful country.

This was a wonderful story about two children (Jorito and Malu), who run away from home in search of Malu's father because her mother wants to take her out of Cuba. They run into several funny adventures, and I just found the entire movie to be very heartwarming. The children are filled with such passion for their country and their friendship. And despite the mothers differences, they discover a common bond of finding their children. A powerful ending to this story awaits the viewer.

I enjoyed these young stars, I believe this is the first movie for Malu and I purchased Al Otro Lado to see Jorge again.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film, which I rented from our local library. It is not about politics at all, and it focuses on the friendship of a young boy and girl. The plot is basically that the girl's mother is going to marry a foreigner and move to the USA, but she wants to stay in Cuba with her friends. Her mother has to get a note signed by the father allowing them to move abroad. The girl undertakes a trip with her friend across the island country to get to the father before the letter arrives, so she can ask him not to sign the letter. I enjoyed the scenery and how this film shows that all children pretty much act the same, regardless of politics or nationality. It is a very funny film, especially when it shows how the children have to cope with trying to find food so that they can complete their journey. I highly recommend this film to anyone. Put your political hang-ups aside, and just enjoy this film.

This film tells the story of two unlikely friends from different social and political backgrounds. When Malu's mother wants to leave Cuba, she runs away with her friend Jorgito to try to prevent her father from signing the documents permitting her to leave the country.

The acting by the children is top-rate. They effectively demonstrate the innocent moments of childhood, the pain at being unrecognized by adults, the quick swings from friends to enemies.

As they travel across the country, viewers take in vivid scenes of beaches, forests and towns.

A beautiful story about a friendship, childhood and life in Cuba, this is well worth watching.

Two school friends embark on a journey across Cuba in order to reach the girl's father who can help her to complete her wish: stay in Cuba instead of immigrating to the States. While their parents and Cuban police are looking for them all over the country, the kids get into various adventures and get their friendship 'tested'.

Funny and moving story where kids turn out to be much wiser then adults (with revolution spirit attached).

This lovely film will make you happy to be alive and, if you are Cuban, proud of your country and its people. It is also proof that, despite cultural or political differences, we are all members of the human family. Do not miss.