I am Cuba

I am Cuba....( 1964)
Directed by Mikhail Kalatosov

Yesterday noon, Longdy and I went to see a free-admission movie at PUC’s Srey Dim Conference Hall. The title was “I am Cuba”. From the title, you could guess where the movie was from, right?

Well... to me, it’s such an inspiring movie, displaying all the real past of Cuba before Fidel Castro came into power. (Now Cuba is the only remaining American Country governed by Communist leader) The movie itself was sub-divided into story of other four different individuals.

The first story was about a young girl named Maria (also known as Betty on her night job). She was the fruit street-sale(er) and also worked as a dancer in a nightclub (&also prostitute). From this part, we could see the great gap of living between the foreigners there and the Cubans. (I think) Maria was forced to sell herself because of poverty. If you had watched the scene, you would see how miserable her life was, living in a damp place surrounded by hungry-looking neighbors. This was much a contrast to the night city life in which dominated by those sucking foreigners.

Then, the second part depicted a rural life of at-about-50-year-old widower, who was living with a teenage son and daughter. Their living depended on their sugar cane field. However, life was not really easy for this 3 unfortunate farmer. Just as the time their sugar canes were ready to be harvested, a fat middle-age man who referred himself as the landowner of the land in which the farmer was living and growing crop. Thus, the crop yield had to put into his property and none of the profit was needed to give to the farmers for their sweat in growing and taking care of the plantation. So much desperate and angry, the father (whose name I didn’t know/remember) decided to set fire to his located-in-other people’s land-home and to all the sugar cane he planted with his and his children’s hand. So that the claimed landowner would not benefit a single penny from his claimed land.

The third one, my most favourite, brought audiences to a city life which was full of protests organized by students against the corrupt government of pre-Castro era and of course had to pay their life for the belief and demonstration.

The final one was about a family who lived in mountain, hoping to get away from the battle in city and to live in peace. But they wouldn’t enjoy their living long. Their house was destroyed by the government’s bombing campaign. Their son was killed in the bombardment. The husband whose named was known as ...... (haha I forgot bat heuy)oh yeah Mariano (???) decided to join the rebellion to liberate Cuba from the corrupt government. The liberation itself was leaded by no one other than Cuba’s former president Fidel Castro (now he’s too old to rule, so his power is transferred to his brother)

I kind of like the movie, and cant wait to see anther free movie, Rice People ( a khmer one). If you interest, go to PUC’s SREY DIM conference hall on October 6 at 3pm.... J now the only remaining American Country governed by Communist leader

HOPE to HAVE and SEE YOU THERE!!!!