(Cuba, 96 min.)
Dir. Ian Padrón, Writ. Felipe Espinet
Starring: Ernesto Escalona, Andy Fornanis, Claudia Alvariño,
Blanca Rosa Blanco, Luis Alberto García.
Is it any coincidence that the back-to-back Cuban selections
at the 2013 and 2014 Latin American Film Festivals are family-friendly films?
Probably not, but this year’s Habanastation
is sure to please any fans of the Cuban musical And Nevertheless… that screened at the festival last year. Habanastation might not have the novelty
or flair for originality that makes And
Nevertheless… such a charming film, yet this broad Cuban offering is fun
and inviting. It’s a refreshing piece of world cinema for a Friday night.
Habanastation comes to LAFF with a host of laurels that includes some festival wins and the status as Cuba’s official submission for Best Foreign Language Film in the 2011 Oscar race (the year A Separation won). It’s a notable entry for the festival, if only for its utter irresistibility. It’s a nice little joy of a film to watch.
Habanstation
presents two classmates from different walks of life. Mayito (Ernesto Escalona)
hails from a wealthy family (his dad’s a popular jazz musician) and he’s never
been lacking for comforts. Director Ian Padrón shows the audience the
comfortable living this young boy enjoys by inviting the audience to sit with
Mayito and his family as they share a meal. Glasses of wine are poured while
Mayito’s father, Pepe (Luis Alberto García) cuts a greasy chicken. Mayito even
asks for dessert and has the gall to chirp the old PlayStation in the den,
unaware that his father has just purchased a new PlayStation3 for his son to
enjoy. It’s a home of luxury.
Carlos (Andy Fornanis), on the other hand, lives in a shack
in a rundown corner of Havana called La Tinta, which earns its name for the
mucky (re: polluted) creek that runs through the slum. Carlos earns his keep
living with his grandmother (his dad’s in jail) and he’s never enjoyed a
PlayStation. He collects bottles for coins during his free time and he dreams
of amassing enough pesos to buy a kite. Just a little kite, though, for the big
one is too expensive.
Mayito gets a taste of Carlos’s lifestyle when he is separated
from his class during the march at Havana Square for the May 1st
festivities. He boards the wrong bus and decides to jump off in a dodgy part of
town, and Carlos just happens to save him from some local goons. Mayito spends
the day learning about life on the other side of the fence as Carlos shows him
a lifestyle where kids cannot play video games with the flick of a switch and
where luxuries are earned through hard work and communal goodwill, rather than
as an allowance doled out from one’s parents.
It’s no coincidence, however, that this life lesson just
happens to occur on the first of May. It’s the day that the students celebrate
the legacy of Cuban communism with the class teacher, Claudia (Claudia Alvariño)
leading the kids on a march from Revolution Square to Lenin Park. She even
leads the class on a little song the day before that goes, “Pioneers of
Communism. / We will be like Che.” Habanastation
therefore puts Mayito on a little quest of communist goodwill, as he navigates
an unfamiliar maze of Havana—not unlike the levels of a video game—and overcomes
obstacles that gradually open his eyes to the reality of the world. The film
even bounces the young boy’s adventure to the video game-y beat of an
electronic score.
Padrón subtly reveals the sizable inequalities that exist in
the communist state, however, with the stark contrast in mise-en-scène between
the homes of the two boys. One boy lives a life of comfort while the other boy lives
in poverty. There’s a rich/poor gap regardless of whatever philosophy the
school teaches, and it really isn’t evident to the boys until they get a taste
of each other’s lifestyle. Habanstation
nevertheless provides a mostly flattering, and ultimately hopeful, depiction of
Cuba by whisking the audience through a host of iconic locations as Claudia
navigates the hustle bustle of the streets in pursuit of Mayito. The lesson
learned, likewise, is one of common good and shared wealth.
Escalona and Fornanis leads carry the film competently while
Alvariño makes a strong impression in a supporting role, as does the likable García
and the anxious Blanca Rosa Blanco as Mayito’s parents. The young leads take
the film on an energetic coming of age story driven by light-hearted humour and
flecks of adventure and romance. This youthful film is pleasing in its
simplicity. There’s not a lot to Habanastation,
but, in the good spirit of communism, there’s a little something for everyone.
Rating: ★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
Habanastation screens in Ottawa at the Latin American Film Festival
on Friday, March 28 at 7:00 pm at Library and Archives Canada.
Please note that actor Luis Alberto García will attend the screening of
Habanastation and that the screening
will be preceded by a 30-minute performance by acclaimed and
internationally-renowned Cuban singer-songwriter Gerardo Alfonso.
(A reception will follow the screening, if one needs another
incentive!)
Please visit www.cfi-icf.ca for more information.
