Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Strawberry & Chocolate (1994)

DVD

NEW  | 2009

ES / EN

39 LEI

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Cuba - Drama - Gay.

 

"I knew he was a homosexual" David says of Diego, "there was chocolate and he chose strawberry." David is a shy teenager, a member of the Communist Youth League. His handsome features catch the eye of Diego, an older intellectual. He brings him to his house in an attempt to impress the culturally inclined David with his library and record collection. Assigned to investigate Diego by his fellow party members, David instead becomes immersed in a tender friendship; opening his mind to an alternative way of life in Communist Cuba.

 

One of the most popular films in Cuba it achieved international acclaim, becoming the first Cuban film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. Strawberry & Chocolate arrived near the end of Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s career; a gentle comic work about friendship and coming-of-age which is also a staunch critique of homophobia.

 

"A superb Cuban film from 1993, a little classic about gay freedom and its aspirations versus Fidel Castro and his Marxist straitjacketing" - Financial Times

 

Cast & Credits: Jorge Perugorria / Vladimir Cruz / Mirta ibarra / Directed: Tomas Gutierrez Alea & Juan Carlos Tabio / Screenplay: Senal Paz


Awards: Academy Awards (1995), Nominated, Best Foreign Language Film / Sundance Film Festival (1995), Won, Honourable Mention, Latin American Cinema / National Board of Review (1994), Won, NBR Award, Top Foreign Film / Chicago International Film Fesitval (1994), Won, Best Actor.

 

Special features: Interactive Menu, Scene Access.

 

Synopsis:

Diego, a cultivated, apolitical, sceptical young artist living in Havana initiates a friendship with fiercely communist homophobe David with the intention of seducing him. David, knowing this, allows the relationship to build so he can spy on a person he sees as aberrant and dangerous to the communist cause. Despite their conflicting sexualities and political ideologies the two slowly build a relationship out of their differences, proving that camaraderie and friendship can overcome the most divisive superficialities.

 

An exploration into the seduction of the mind, Strawberry And Chocolate shows how politics can shape lives, opinions and relationships. Hugely controversial in Cuba even now, the film was the first to feature a gay man as the hero while openly criticising the Government and its widespread intolerance. It was this picture that started the dialogue that has only last year allowed Brokeback Mountain to be shown in Havana. Charming, nuanced, groundbreaking and thought provoking, Strawberry And Chocolate is a clear-cut declaration that even in spite of politics, love for your fellow man will always triumph if allowed to.

 

Aspect Ratio : 1.78:1 / Package Dimensions : 7.1 x 5.42 x 0.58 inches; 2.93 Ounces / Director : Juan Carlos Tabío, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea / Media Format : Import, PAL / Run time : 104 minutes / Release date : March 10, 2009 / Actors : Jorge Perugorría, Mirta Ibarra, Vladimir Cruz, Francisco Gattorno, Joel Angelino / Subtitles: : English / Producers : Strawberry and Chocolate ( Fresa y chocolate ) ( Strawberry & Chocolate ), Strawberry and Chocolate, Fresa y chocolate, Strawberry & Chocolate / Language : Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0) / Studio : Mr Bongo / ASIN : B001QX014A / Number of discs : 1