Between two cyclones

By Enrique COLINA (90’ – Cuba). A co-production of Les Films du Village with the participation of Fond Sud / ICAIC

Festival Selections: Cannes Festival 2003 “Semaine international de la critique” , Montreal Festival, Toulouse Festival, Chicago, Washington…

Cuba year 2000: A cyclone destroys the house of Thomas, an optimistic mulatto thug, on the eve of the day when he must find a job that will allow him to get out of marginality. In the Telephone Company, his boss is El Conde, an old and bitter operator, who pours out his skeptical vision of life and people. The need to have a roof over his head leads Thomas to get involved in conflicting love affairs with a jealous black hairdresser, a libidinous European journalist and a young rocker in revolt. In crisis in his job at the Telephone Company, and in his personal life, Thomas sees his misfortunes worsen when Miguel, his delinquent brother, compromises him in a crime that threatens his future and his will to change his life.

Tomas, and the mosaic of characters that surround him, are representative of Cuban youth and the uncertainties that accompany them. To draw this picture as close to reality as possible, Enrique Colina paints a multitude of facets: miscegenation, economic crisis, delinquency, violence, sex …

It is a rich and complex film that Enrique Colina offers and the success of the film lies particularly in its tone, which skillfully mixes laughter and gravity. The final “foot of nose” of the annihilated character closes the film on this provocation.

© AVIVA FILMS