Buy a subscription today and save an extra 10%. Use coupon code "TODAY10" at checkout.
Home   »   Film-of-the-Month Club   »   Our Films   »   VIVA CUBA

VIVA CUBA

Directed by Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti
  • YEAR 5 - FILM 5 / 
  • Cuba / 
  • 2005 / 
  • Spanish with English subtitles / 
  • 80 min
VIVA CUBA DVD & Online Streaming
Member Pricing
DVD+Stream $14.95 $9.95
Stream-Only $2.99 $1.99
Non-Member Pricing
DVD+Stream $24.95 $14.95
Stream-Only $3.99 $2.99
PURCHASE DVD+STREAM »PURCHASE STREAM-ONLY »
"Director Malberti has a simple, unfussy style that reflects his young heroes' clear-eyed naievete."
– Adam Nayman, Eye Weekly

Synopsis

In a tale akin to "Romeo and Juliet," the young love between two children living in Havana is threatened by their parents' bitter conflicts. Malú is from an upper-class family and her single mother does not want her to play with Jorgito, as she thinks his background coarse and commonplace. Jorgito's mother, a poor socialist proud of her family's social standing, places similar restrictions on her son. What neither woman recognizes is the immense strength of the bond between Malú and Jorgito. When the children learn that Malú's mother is planning to leave Cuba, they decide to travel to the other side of the island to find Malú's father and persuade him against signing the forms that would allow it.

You Might Also Like

CAROL'S JOURNEY
Directed by Imanol Uribe
YEAR 2 FILM 2
Carol, a 12-year-old Spanish-American girl from New York, travels with her mother to Spain in the spring of 1938, at the height of the Civil War. Separated from her beloved father, Carol arrives in her mother's home village and transforms the secretive family environment. Her innocence and rebellious nature drive her at first to reject a world that is at once new and foreign, but she soon journeys into adulthood through a friendship with Maruja, the village teacher, and a young local boy, Tomiche. However, as conditions in the village deteriorate, her eyes are opened to a shocking new world of excitement, intrigue and danger.
MORE INFO »
A PECK ON THE CHEEK
Directed by Mani Ratnam
YEAR 4 FILM 6
A little girl's search for her biological mother who had abandoned her as a newborn baby is brought out poignantly in A Peck on the Cheek. Amudha, adopted by Thiru and Indira and growing up with the couple's two sons, is blissfully unaware of her parentage, until the couple decides to inform her of it on her ninth birthday. At first shocked into disbelief, Amudha then expresses her determination to seek out for her biological mother. The search takes the family to strife-torn Sri Lanka, where Amudha comes face-to-face with reality, and reconciles herself to it. With films like Mouna Ragam, Alaipayuthe and now A Peck on the Cheek, director Mani Ratnam proves once again that he is at his best when tackling human emotions and relationships.
MORE INFO »
MUNYURANGABO
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung
YEAR 7 FILM 5
After stealing a machete from a market in Kigali, Munyurangabo and his friend, Sangwa, leave the city on a journey tied to their pasts. Munyurangabo wants justice for his parents who were killed in the genocide, and Sangwa wants to visit the home he deserted years ago. Though they plan to visit Sangwa's home for just a few hours, the boys stay for several days. From two separate tribes, their friendship is tested when Sangwa's wary parents disapprove of Munyurangabo, warning that "Hutus and Tutsis are supposed to be enemies." An intense & inspiring portrait of youth in Rwanda, MUNYURANGABO features Poet Laureate Edouard Uwayo delivering a moving poem about his healing country.
MORE INFO »
THE COLORS OF THE MOUNTAIN
Directed by Carlos César Arbeláez
YEAR 9 FILM 3
Young Manuel lives with his hard-working farmer parents in the remote, mountainous region of the Colombian countryside. While the adults in their lives try to avoid both the armed military and the guerrilla rebels fighting each other in the area, Manuel and his friend Julián are obsessed with playing soccer any chance they get. Shortly after his birthday, the new ball Manuel received as a gift gets kicked off to a minefield, and he, Julián and their albino friend Poca Luz will do everything in their power to recover their prized belonging—an essential part of their everyday lives and dreams.
MORE INFO »
FOREIGN LETTERS
Directed by Ela Their
Ellie, a 12-year-old immigrant girl from Israel, is lonely and homesick. Life brightens when she meets Thuy, a Vietnamese refugee her age. Trust slowly builds as the two teach each other about life in America. As Ellie and Thuy become inseparable, they eventually hurt and betray each other. Ellie must give up her most prized possession in order to save their friendship. Based on the filmmaker's own experience, Foreign Letters is a story about prejudice, poverty, shame, and the power of friendship to heal us. The film features the music of iconic Israeli musician Chava Alberstein, who was the director's favorite musician when her family immigrated to the US in 1982.
MORE INFO »

Editorial Reviews

By Adam Nayman

Dir Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti w/ Malu Tarrau Broche, Jorgito Milo Avila. 80 min.  Two children on the cusp of adolescence embark on a journey to preserve their friendship in Viva Cuba, a film that works as both a sociopolitical allegory and a family entertainment. Tomboyish Malu (Malu Tarrau Broche) and quick-tempered Jorgito (Jorgito Milo Avila) share a bond that belies their families' disparate economic backgrounds, but their parents don't approve. Things get worse when Malu's grandmother dies and her family makes plans to leave Cuba, but the kids don't take it lying down -- they run away to find Malu's estranged dad, whom they hope will agree to impede the departure. Director Malberti has a simple, unfussy style that reflects his young heroes' clear-eyed naïveté, and even if the road-movie trajectory of the plot is obvious, Viva Cuba should hold interest for viewers of all ages.

--Adam Nayman/ Eye Weekly - Review

Write a review »

Customer Reviews


Jeff in Seattle - Customer Review


Michael hyman - Customer Review
Best movie I've seen in years. Great story, cast and soundtrack.

Photos

Click photo to enlarge. Then copy as you would any online image.
Viva Cuba Image #1
Viva Cuba Image #2
Viva Cuba Image #3
Viva Cuba Image #4
viva Cuba Image #5
Viva Cuba Image #6
Viva Cuba poster (hi res)

Discussion Guides