Suman Roberson
It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
Rosie Searle
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Guillelmina
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Jack
The film starts out with Elio, the brother of the narrator Lila, helping teach her to swim. Next, the director shows the close relationship between the two as they ride through the streets of Havana together on a bike. They seem inseparable, and Lila feels like they are inseparable. Then, Elio meets Raul who it seems that Elio takes a liking to. From that point on, Elio and Raul work in a kitchen of a hotel while preparing to migrate across the ocean 93 miles to Miami. Raul believes his dad is living there and that if they go they will have a better life. I don't think Elio has bought into the "American Dream" but it appears he will do anything for Raul. Raul dreams of driving a fast car and reuniting with is dad. The trip over seas is expedited when Raul is accused of seriously injuring a tourist. Elio drops everything and starts stealing materials to put together a raft. Lila also wants to tag along on the journey because she would do anything for Elio. They attempt to cross the ocean to Miami but don't succeed. Also, in the process Elio seems to be killed by a shark while saving his sister. They end up circling back around to Cuba. The film shows how people have hope for a better life in America but the struggle to get there is great
Cameron Crawford
I always knew that a large amount of Cubans migrated to Miami over the "90 Mile River", but I never knew how hard it was to leave everything behind. On top of this, the characters in the movie, Elio and Raul go through many hardships while collecting items for their travels. Both characters get in trouble with the law in one way or another. One day, Raul is giving his mother medicine for her AIDS. Since Raul's mother is a prostitute, he walks in on her pleasing a tourist, when the tourist sees Raul, he tries to chase him out the door. The tourist trips and hits his eye on a piece of metal. The tourist goes to the cops and falsely causes Raul of stabbing his eye, and punishment for assaulting a tourist is prison. This makes Raul go on the run for the rest of the movie, always evading the cops. Elio gets in trouble when he steals meat for their journey on the boat. Both Elio and Raul work in a kitchen together, so Elio goes there to steal the meat. The guards catch Elio running away, so he is also running from the police. This really shows the struggles that Cubans have to go through in order to leave the country.
Elinor
. Overall I really I enjoyed this film. I thought that it did a nice job showing the daily lives of Cubans, that some to this very day still have to go through. It should the social and economic crisis of Cuba, and how most people are treated very poorly due to their social status. The actors in the film were able to emotionally and physically act in the way that made everything seem more surreal, and the fact that they spoke the native language, made things even more intriguing to watch. Seeing this film can make others realize that there are people in the world who are less fortunate, and are living in extreme and horrible conditions, and have to commit to doing something that they would not do if they were given a choice. I would not have changed anything in the film, because I was emotionally connected to every scene that was presented, the ending of the film led me to curiosity, because it doesn't actually tell you what will happen to the main actors, it leaves you thinking what you would think will happen, and that makes a great film. Based on this reasoning I would give this film a 5/5 stars
vidyanarasimha
This is a fantastic movie. All actors enacted their characters very well. The script (even though its in Spanish) and screen play are great!! Or more appropriately, the sub-titles convey the mood of a scene without losing anything in translation. The movie is action packed, has nail- biting moments, and shows a lot of fun and excitement along with desperation. The sound track is beautiful and makes me want to visit Cuba. The Q & A session at the end of the movie in the TriBeCa Film Festival was very insightful about how the movie was made, despite the challenges. A small team of extremely dedicated and talented people have come together as a great crew to make this fantastic movie. Would love to watch this again in the theaters - can't wait for it's national theater release in the US. Hope it gets nominated for an Oscar and wins too!
