STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1995 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE is the movie that asks the question: Do you know the Zodiac sign of your refrigerator and is its sign and yours compatible? Overall, the movie is a S-L-O-W and amateurish production yet with some quite special parts nevertheless.
STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE is a classic romantic triangle with a few twists. The movie was made in Cuba, and it is set in Havana in the year 1979. The central figure is Diego, a gay man played by Jorge Perrugoria. He falls head over heals in love with David (Vladimir Cruz), a committed albeit non-practicing heterosexual. Diego has a suicidal neighbor (Mirta Ibarra) who is an older woman (late 40s?) that gets infatuated with David. David's heart however is still with his old, now married and strikingly beautiful girlfriend.
The political subplot has Diego being persecuted by the government and the left-wing students for being a homosexual. He is a Christian sculpture which makes him persona non grata with the Communists. David, on the other hand, is a Communist party member so agrees to spy on this right-wing, homosexual, religious fanatic for the party. After this set up, the plot moves at a snail's pace.
Other than the need for some heavy editing, there are many other things wrong with the show. The sound editing is awful. Many scenes sound like they were made in an anechoic chamber. The background noise that should be there is totally missing. The dialog is frequently awkward and unnatural. Finally, the second most important part in the movie was miscast. Cruz plays the heterosexual guy by staring blankly into the camera for long periods of time. I wondered sometimes if he had fallen asleep with his eyes open.
What is good about the show? The major joy of seeing this movie is to watch the acting of Perrugoria. He gave a moving and extremely complex portrayal of the troubled gay guy. Very convincing and fascinating. The acting of the more minor character of the neighbor as well as that of David's old girlfriend was quite good. Finally, watching the images of Cuba were like taking a glimpse into a forbidden land that time has forgotten.
STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE runs (read crawls) 1:44. It is rated R for complete female and male nudity and for several scenes of heterosexual sex. It has no violence and only minor profanity. I agree with the R rating and do not think it is a movie for teenagers. Overall, the bad outweighed the good for me so I gave it a thumbs down and awarded it * 1/2.
P.S. The title comes from the fact that David likes chocolate which is considered normal whereas Diego likes strawberry which is abnormal. It is a metaphor for their differences.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEWED WRITTEN ON: February 10, 1995
Opinions expressed are solely mine & not meant to reflect my employer's.
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