Cuban cinema has for decades denounced social ills, from the bittersweet, clever comedies of Tomas Gutierrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabio and Gerardo Chijona, to the epic dramas of Humberto Solas and the surrealistic visions of Miguel Coyula. As the Cuban Revolution ages and refuses to reform its authoritarian one-party rule, Cuban films have accordingly become less forgiving. In Carlos Lechuga’s third feature, Vicenta B., premiering in Toronto and then San Sebastian, suicide, exile, or escape into religious faith seem to be the only options left for Cuba’s dwindling youth.
Vicenta B. is a poignant farewell letter that contains much pain and some reproaches. It’s a raw, courageous reality check, with some magical touches, that defies the official story. The film may well reach a worldwide audience through festivals. While it is unlikely to screen publicly in Cuba, DVDs will no doubt be quietly shared in private homes.
The story opens on a relentless exodus: in fleeting but searing images, young people climb the steps of Havana’s airport, hauling their suitcases and never looking back; others walk through ghostly manglares (mangrove swamps) towards fragile rafts that will help them escape the island by sea.
It is rare for a Cuban film to have almost exclusively Black actors in the main roles and not, as Lechuga puts it, as “folkloric” characters portraying slaves or maids in historical reenactments. In the title role of Vicenta, actress Linnett Hernandez Valdes, a Cuban theatre and film actress now living in France, radiates dignity and compassion. She is ably supported by a diverse cast that reflects the island’s demographics.
Vicenta uses a pack of Spanish cards to predict the future. When a teenage girl desperately seeks her out, at first she refuses to assist her, then prefers to pretend her future is safe and sound, but the girl later sets herself on fire (known as “darse candela” in Cuba, which has one of the highest suicide rates in the world.) Vicenta is racked with guilt and tries to provide comfort to the girl’s mother and to her grandfather, who refuses to get out of bed — perhaps a metaphor for the paralyzing dependency faced by those who remain. When Vicenta’s only son leaves Cuba, she loses her gift of divination and undertakes a pilgrimage to see her godmother, performing cleansing rituals to recover her faith.
The action is set in Havana’s poorest neighborhoods, far removed from the glimmering tourist traps. Here, by the Almendares river, residents are almost exclusively African descendants who keep ancestral traditions and beliefs alive, in search of hope and meaning in their lives. The interiors are also revealing: old mahogany armchairs from Cuba’s prosperous past contrast with bare, peeling walls. A framed photo of Camilo Cienfuegos, one of Cuba’s most beloved revolutionary leaders who died under suspicious circumstances, hangs amid damp stains. A Santería altar pays homage to Catholic saints transmuted into African gods: La Caridad as Oshún, Santa Barbara as Changó.
Born well after the revolution, Carlos Lechuga has been writing and directing in a challenging environment. His satirical short Los bañistas (The Swimmers, 2010) portrayed a swimming coach training his team in an empty pool. His successful first feature, Melaza (2012), was followed by Santa y Andres (2019), which was withdrawn from the Havana Film Festival and unleashed state surveillance and harassment on the director. Vicenta B. closes this trilogy in a final, searing act of defiance, filmed during the pandemic, far from prying eyes. Reenacting the exile he had written into the film’s plot, Lechuga reluctantly decided to leave Cuba and settle in Barcelona after the film was completed.
A team of talented women surrounds the director. Cinematographer Denise Guerra captures striking details: a girl rows across a river carrying a coffin; a turtle walks determinedly towards an exit; spoons act as drumsticks during a mystic rumba. Editor Joanna Montero keeps that rhythm going in swift sequences where dialog is not needed. Producer Claudia Calviño pieced together a puzzle of funders from Cuba, France, Colombia, Norway, and the UAE, with crowdfunding thrown in.
Director: Carlos Lechuga
Screenplay: Carlos Lechuga, Fabian Suarez
Cast: Linnett Hernandez Valdes, Aimé Despaigne, Mireya Chapman, Pedro Martinez, Eduardo Martinez, Ana Flavia Barrios
Producer: Claudia Calviño
Cinematography: Denise Guerra
Editing: Joanna Montero
Music: Santiago Barbosa Cañón
Sound: Velia Diaz de Villavilla, Daniel “Gato” Garcés Najar
Production companies: Cacha Films in coproduction with Promenades Film, Motto Pictures, Romeo, Dag Hoel Filmproduksjon
World sales: Habanero Films
Venue: Toronto Film Festival (Contemporary World Cinema), San Sebastian (Horizontes Latinos)
In Spanish
77 minutes
