Limits of the Revolution

Abstract

In January 2011, while I was writing my thesis, I visited Havana. On the day I arrived my friends took me to the movies to see “Casa Vieja” (Old House), Lester Hamlet’s first film, produced by the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cienematograficos (ICAIC—Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry). The script was adapted from an old theatre piece by Abelardo Estorino written in the 1960s. The film tells the story of a young man that comes back from Spain after 14 years to see his dying father. During his trip he is faced with the everyday difficulties of living in Cuba, and his thoughts and attitudes clash with those of his family. Set in an old house on a costal town—a reminder of Cuba’s insularity—the film touched on the typical tensions plaguing Cuban families: shortages, crammed living conditions, the clash between official discourse and private life, intergenerational conflicts, the damage of rigid ideological positions, and (a baggage from the original piece) homosexuality. The film was awarded the popularity prize at the 32 International Festival for New Latin American Cinema. Early in 2011 Raul Castro had still not passed the new laws relaxing migration, and emigration was at the forefront of all political discussions among young Cubans. The film reflected accurately the aura of impending change that loomed over Havana.