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Havana Suite

Play trailer Havana Suite Released Sep 18, 2003 1h 20m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
In this slice-of-life documentary, director Fernando Pérez chronicles the simple lives of various people living in Havana, Cuba, with minimal action and dialogue. Some of the subjects followed include: an old woman who makes her living selling peanuts on the street; a man who takes care of an elderly woman during the day and plays the saxophone at night; a doctor who aspires to be an actor; and a construction worker whose true passion is dancing ballet.

Critics Reviews

View All (7) Critics Reviews
Neil Genzlinger New York Times ... its most compelling images linger ... Rated: 3/5 Apr 28, 2006 Full Review Joshua Land Village Voice It's all pleasant enough, but the pretty pictures, languid pacing, and endless stretches of mood music eventually combine to soporific effect. Apr 25, 2006 Full Review Ed Gonzalez Slant Magazine Perez evokes a day in the life of 10 Habaneros as a symphony: his subjects are notes spread out across a music staff, rising and falling to the identity of a city. Rated: 3/4 Mar 26, 2006 Full Review Rene Rodriguez Miami Herald A portrait of people in a permanent state of waiting who -- with only one poignant exception -- refuse to let go of their dreams. Rated: 3/4 Feb 5, 2004 Full Review Robin Clifford Reeling Reviews "Suite Habana" is both melancholy and hopeful and has one notable thing missing - there is never an image of Fidel Castro to be found anywhere. Rated: B Nov 10, 2003 Full Review Laura Clifford Reeling Reviews A celebration of a city through ten of its citizens. Rated: B+ Nov 4, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (8) audience reviews
Audience Member incredible in its simplicity. i had to get to the station but i couldn't move away from the screen. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Though fascinating in some respects, I found this documentary pretty tedious to sit through. Where it succeeded was showing a view of Cuba where people are continuing their daily lives, the country is developing, despite the US embargo. There are even daily flights between Miami and Havana. It picks half a dozen or so Cubans, from a schoolboy to an elderly woman, and follows them in their routine over a couple of days. There's a guy who lays railroad track who blows sax in a club at night. There's a younger guy who spends his day renovating his family's home. At night, he's a ballet dancer. All the characters have hopes and dreams, like anyone, but because they are in Cuba, those hopes and dreams are sometimes harder to achieve. This was previewed on VHS for the [url="http://www.worldfilmbkk.com/"]2nd World Film Festival of Bangkok[/url]. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Great movie. Excellent pictures, no narration. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member CHEESY MUSIC loose/hardly any narrative - way too many characters, can't relate to them afraid of angering the Cuban government, so it's limited in what it can do (and subsequently does) ...really, don't bother. It's not 'film poetry' either. how pretentious. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Lo quiero, quiero, quiero!!!!! Es MA RA VI LLO SO!!!!!!! Great movie! The most beautiful movie since Metropolis. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member El peso contundente de la realidad. Sobran las palabras en esta mirada implacable, pero a la vez tierna, sobre la vida de un grupo de habaneros. Una pelicula de una gran fuerza. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Havana Suite

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this slice-of-life documentary, director Fernando Pérez chronicles the simple lives of various people living in Havana, Cuba, with minimal action and dialogue. Some of the subjects followed include: an old woman who makes her living selling peanuts on the street; a man who takes care of an elderly woman during the day and plays the saxophone at night; a doctor who aspires to be an actor; and a construction worker whose true passion is dancing ballet.
Director
Fernando Pérez
Producer
José María Morales, Camilo Vives
Screenwriter
Fernando Pérez
Distributor
Kairos Filmverleih
Production Co
Wanda Visión S.A.
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
European Spanish
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 18, 2003, Wide
Runtime
1h 20m