Review of Viva Cuba (2005) by Pj P — 29 Mar 2009

Road Movie or perhaps Romantic Comedy too, this film is a simple joy that makes you laugh and then want to cry. This is so bloody cute. These kids are just amazing and I fell in love with the heroine - Malu Tarrau Broche, pity I'm not ten. Unlike Jorgito Milo Avilathe, the hero.

It's not possible to ignore the title of course, but actually the politicising seen be some Americans (â??Depoliticizing the subject of Cuban exiles is about as easy as taking the fruit out of an apple pieâ?? Vanessa Arrington, Associated Press) is pretty hard for us Europeans to discern, but then schools in Britain donâ??t have the national flag in the classroom. This is just a heart-warming human tale about two kids who donâ??t want to be parted because of decisions made by adults: decisions which are made without consulting them and against their perception of their own interests. Sounds familiar? Only to everyone on the planet.

So the kids take off, to get to Maluâ??s father in order to stop him signing her exit papers. On the way they go wet and hungry, row and make up. Thereâ??s a brilliant bit when young Malu cannot resist the temptation to sing on stage and is seen by her stunned mother on national television, sitting with Jorgeâ??s mother and the policeman leading the search for the missing kids.

The dislike the mothers have for each other â?? one an atheistic true proletarian daughter of the revolution, the other a faded genteel Roman Catholic â?? has to be overcome as they are finally forced to co-operate because of their missing offspring. Well it didnâ??t happen to the Montagues and Capulets.

This looks and feels good â?? there are some curmudgeonly reviews out there, but hey, lifeâ??s too short not to just simply enjoy movies that look and feel like this. Iâ??ve just seen it. I would watch it again right now.