A Wedding in Havana (documentary)
HAVANA TIMES — The documentary “A Wedding in Havana” was made during the height of the mid-1990s Special Period economic crisis, a crisis that for many Cubans never fully ended to this day. It gives us some insight into a period in time that people prefer not to talk much about from the disillusionment and pain it represented.
Here’s the synopsis from the director Miriam Day.
“After the collapse of the Soviet bloc Cuba was plunged into crisis. Blockaded by the USA, their major trading partner gone, the Communist government invested in tourism to bring hard currency into the country. This led to a two-tiered system in which those who had dollars could buy goods unavailable in the local peso economy.
“Many Cubans became ‘jiniteros’ – offering illegal services to tourists, from city tours to prostitution – in order to get by. A ‘Wedding in Havana’, made at the height of this crisis, is a snapshot of a moment of disillusion as seen through the eyes of three couples from Old Havana.
“We made the film using a small ‘hi-8’ camera. This version has been through many generations and it shows – but the camerawork, by Vicente Ferraz, still glows with life.”
To see some of the other films by Miriam Day click here:
A Wedding in Havana from havanatimes on Vimeo.
Excellent film! It was haunting, illuminating and profound.
Why are you surprised so little has changed since that film was made? The same ruthless dictatorship holds power today as it has for 56 years. Of course nothing has changed! The Castros won’t allow change.
This wonderful, haunting film, as Bob Michaels states, captures the struggles of most Cubans, and is as true today as it was then.The situation is less dire now than it was then, especially if the young have access to remittances from abroad, or have friends who do. Also, I suspect that if one is ambitious, willing to learn and work hard, there are more opportunities to advance, even without family living in the First World. I wonder what has happened to the principals in the documentary? Obviously, some have managed to go North (or to Europe), others have passed on to the other side, and still others have remained suspended in either bitterness or hope.
It is amazing how little has changed in the 20 years since this film was made. The story line is as true today as it was then. Not even the scenery has changed.