Stars: Héctor Medina, Jorge Perugorría, Luis Alberto García
Storyline
When everything is for sale, what's the value of love? Jesus does make up for a troupe of drag performers in Havana, but dreams of being a performer. When he finally gets his chance to be on stage, a stranger emerges from the crowd and punches him in the face. The stranger is his father Angel, a former boxer, who has been absent from his life for 15 years. As father and son clash over their opposing expectations of each other, Viva becomes a love story as the men struggle to understand one another and become a family again.
Cast: Héctor Medina -
Jesus
Jorge Perugorría -
Angel
Luis Alberto García -
Mama
Renata Maikel Machin Blanco -
Pamela
Luis Manuel Alvarez -
Cindy
Paula Andrea Ali Rivera -
Nita
Laura Alemán -
Cecilia
Oscar Ibarra Napoles -
Javier
Mark O'Halloran -
Ray
Luis Angel Batista Bruzón -
Don
Luis Daniel Ventura Garbendia -
Kali
Yudisvany Rabu -
Nuno
Maikol Villa Puey -
William
Jorge Martínez Castillo -
Celeste
Tomás Cao -
Trainer
Taglines:
Find your voice
Country: Ireland, Cuba
Language: Spanish
Release Date: 3 Jan 2015
Filming Locations: Havana, Cuba
Technical Specs
Runtime:
User Review
Author:
Rating: 8/10
At the screening, the director, Paddy gave an introduction about his
personal experience with seeing a drag performance years ago where an
individual was having the best time of their lives. He said that those
who knew the performer were crying due to the fact that that was the
only place this individual could truly be who they were.
That introduction set the mood for the movie. I'm afraid if I wasn't
lucky enough to have the director give some backstory I would've liked
it less.
The beginning of the film had a few clichés. A troubled protagonist
unsure of how to make money, family issues, shopping in record stores.
As it went on the clichés dwindled, immersing the audience in Cuba. Our
main character's routine continued, and I found myself falling more
into his psyche. His family issues became more relevant, his troubles
were mine, and even the records had an important role in the story.
By the end people around me were weeping.
The only note I had was that there were a handful of times where
moments should've been longer. Just an extra few seconds on those
emotional scenes would've gone a long way. Not sure if that's a
directing or editing critique.
I'm afraid of using an incorrect term here, so forgive me if I do. But
as LGBT rights continue to finally be as important as they should've
been decades ago, it's great to see more films like this, especially
when they are well done. I hope this film gets the recognition it
deserves.
0