Cinema is a medium of darkness and light, and none more so than in Alejandro Alonso Estrella’s History is Written at Night.
The film takes as its milieu the blackouts that have occurred in Cuba with increasing frequency since 2020. Alongside shortages in food and medical supplies that have exacerbated deprivation over the past few years, a lack of fuel has seen restrictions in energy usage that result in the populace regularly being plunged into the black. While the ongoing situation has led to mass protests and emigration, this isn’t a straightforward document for Estrella. Instead, this inky obscurity creates the space for a haunting, ephemeral journey through a beguiling hinterland and, perhaps, the birth of something new from the shadows.
The film opens with a warning that the film was shot in low-light conditions, so it is recommended that it is watched in a dark room. This suggests possible image degradation and while that might be relevant, it belies the splendour of the following imagery, all captured by the director himself. From an opening shot of what one would assume are glow worms in a jar to a sensational lightning storm erupting over the ocean, the visuals utilise the scarce lighting in various ways. Sometimes a low light shines up onto the face of the film’s only character – who seems to be the director’s mother – as she tells elusive and atmospheric stories. In other cases, staccato flashes are almost percussive, while in calmer moments the light unnervingly grasps for the silent world playing out just beyond the reach of the camera’s torch.
While the woman in voiceover offers some semblance of structure, History Is Written at Night is relatively free of narrative signposts. There is a sequence early on in which a cemetery is flooded by a harsh lamp and the city’s lights spread out into the distance. Unannounced, all of the lights switch off, depicting the all-consuming nature of the blackout. In the film’s closing frames, the screen is filled with the glow of flaming torches being carried by a group which, it becomes evident, is thousands strong. Although Estrella may not unequivocally explain the demonstrations, here they are apparent and become a symbol of what light in the darkness can achieve.
Director, screenwriter, cinematography, editing: Alejandro Alonso Estrella
Cast: Teresita Estrella Careaga
Producers: Daniela Muñoz Barroso, Boris Prieto, Alejandro Alonso Estrella
Music: Rafael Ramirez
Sound design: Sergio Fernandez Borras
Production company: Estudio ST, La Concretera (Cuba)
Venue: International Film Festival Rotterdam (Tiger Short Competition)
In Spanish, English
20 minutes
