Review #1: 7 Days in Havana

            7 Days in Havana offers a look into the lives of people in modern day Havana, Cuba.  The film spans 7 days and follows a different group of people each day of the week.  Each episode was directed by a different director who offers his own unique take on daily life in Havana.

            “El Yuma” (Monday), directed by Benicio Del Toro, stars Josh Hutcherson as a young American student attending film school in Cuba.  This is the lightest and simplest of all episodes. It shows him navigating his way around beautiful women and booze in various bars around town.  The directing style allows the audience to see an American’s perspective on how Cubans live and the vibrancy of Havana and those who live there.  I got a feel for what Cuban nightlife might be like and some of the regulations imposed upon residents of the town.

            “Jam Session” (Tuesday), directed by Pablo Trapero, follows the drunken Serbian film director Emir Kusturica (playing himself) as he evades his responsibilities at the Havana Film Festival.  The colors become less vibrant compared to Monday’s episode and the dialogue is significantly reduced, though this does not detract from the entertainment value.  The episode features Kusturica’s friendship with his cab driver, who turns out to be an exceptional trumpeter.  The up tempo music keeps the story moving at a comfortable pace.

            “La temptacion of Cecilia” (Wednesday), directed by Julio Medem, is the only love story in the film, and clichéd at that.  Cecilia has a chance to make something of herself, but is caught in a love triangle between her Spanish lover/talent agent and her husband.  The lover wants to take her to Spain, but she can’t seem to leave her husband, a depressing baseball player wasting his own life.  The actors hit on this tension with masterful and honest talent, and also help bring to attention the glaring differences between slum and rich tourist life. The directorial differences are most evident when Medem uses a cross between slow motion and dream sequencing.  However, the scenes resemble a cheap cologne commercial.

            “Diary of a Beginner” (Thursday), directed by Elia Suleiman, is the weakest link in the film.  Suleiman plays himself as a visitor to Havana who has come for a meeting.  There is little talking, only action.  The idea is a good one: show an observer watching what is happening all around him all around town.  It was even comical at times.  A running gag involved Suleiman waiting for his meeting with President Castro.  We get glimpses of him staring at the television watching the President talk on and on while he stands perfectly still somewhere in the hotel room.  This episode was just too long.  After introducing the film with animated personalities and stories, this was a lag.  The only goal seemed to be to show mundane everyday life, and that it did, almost too well.  It did not keep pace with the rest of the film.

            “Ritual” (Friday), directed by Gaspar Noe, falls into the same category.  It does, however, offer a glimpse into the more traditional aspects of Cuban culture not seen elsewhere in the film.  After being caught in bed with another girl by her parents, a young woman is forced to go through a ritualistic cleansing.  Again, there is no dialogue, but the ritual is depicted with clarity and we get a feel for the intensity of the situation.  It is also a subtle representation of some of the values and customs held so dear in Cuba. 

            “Dulce amargo” (Saturday), directed by Juan Carlos Tabio, is the best sequence for its portrayal of everyday modern life without bothering to deal with major controversial issues.  It shows real people.  A behavioral psychologist/baker rushes to get her pastries and cakes made after the electricity fails.  She makes her family go on a hunt for eggs so that they don’t have to pay for them.  The interactions between the family members are hilarious and I found myself relating to almost every situation.             
            Directed by Laurent Cantet, “La fuenta” (Sunday) shows how an older woman employs all her neighbors to help her renovate her living room for a visitor later that day.  Again, there are some funny moments, but overall the woman is irritating.  It did not leave me with feelings of happiness, satisfaction, and peace at the end, as was the intention.  The final two episodes seek to tie some of the other episodes together.  This is done somewhat sloppily, and it appears to have just been thrown together.

            The film was too long to not take a deeper look into these people’s lives, but it achieves the goal of offering a glimpse into different aspects of Cuban life.  I commend the directors involved for that.

Directed by: Benicio Del Toro, Pablo Trapero, Julio Medem, Elia Suleiman, Gaspar Noe, Juan Carlos Tabio, Laurent Cantet

Written by: Leonardo Padura

Produced by: Laurent Baudens, Didar Domehri, Alvaro Longoria, Gael Nouaille, Fabien Pisani

Cast: Daniel Bruhl, Emir Kusturica, Elia Suleiman, Josh Hutcherson, Vladimir Cruz, Mirta Ibarra, Jorge Perugorria

Running time: 125 minutes