Tomas Guiterrez Alea has received great acclaim from film historians for his neorealist film "Memories of Underdevelopment" (1968). But does the film really merit the praise? In a nonlinear narrative, we follow the study of a loner named Sergio, residing in Havana after the fateful Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. But we never know the complete background of Sergio, who surely does not represent the Cuban people of 1961. Rather, he is an effete intellectual who has never gotten his hands dirty. He is a conoisseur of European art and apparently a committed capitalist in the newly revamped socialist regime of Castro.
Is Sergio even Cuban? Or is he a Castillian Spaniard? The film only sets Sergio apart from a friend who is a wounded Bay of Pigs veteran or the sophisticated women who have left Sergio and Cuba behind, as they flee to America.
The central relationship developed in the film is that of Sergio and a young woman named Elena. They meet in public. Sergio shamelessly flirts and invites Elena to his apartment. They have a brief affair, and we never learn why they drift apart. Eventually, Sergio stands trial for rape in a case brought by the outraged family members of Elena.
Undoubtedly, the filmmaker Alea wants us to see how the young, virgin Cuba has been raped by the old European order. But if that is the message, then why is Sergio acquitted of the crime? "Memories of Underdevelopment" is a film rife with ambiguities. There is no clear message discernible in the film, only a dazzling array of images of history, revolution, and violence. One man's character stands out against this backdrop with passivity and compliance to whatever way the wind is blowing.
Is Sergio even Cuban? Or is he a Castillian Spaniard? The film only sets Sergio apart from a friend who is a wounded Bay of Pigs veteran or the sophisticated women who have left Sergio and Cuba behind, as they flee to America.
The central relationship developed in the film is that of Sergio and a young woman named Elena. They meet in public. Sergio shamelessly flirts and invites Elena to his apartment. They have a brief affair, and we never learn why they drift apart. Eventually, Sergio stands trial for rape in a case brought by the outraged family members of Elena.
Undoubtedly, the filmmaker Alea wants us to see how the young, virgin Cuba has been raped by the old European order. But if that is the message, then why is Sergio acquitted of the crime? "Memories of Underdevelopment" is a film rife with ambiguities. There is no clear message discernible in the film, only a dazzling array of images of history, revolution, and violence. One man's character stands out against this backdrop with passivity and compliance to whatever way the wind is blowing.