Memories of Underdevelopment

In the wake of Castro's rise to power, the Cuban bourgeois packed up their wealth, and took to the boats. This strange and demanding film examines the wavering conscience of one who stays. Sergio (Sergio Corrieri) is left holding the marital bag, when his wife up and jets, following an acrimonious exchange. Though he is still drawn to her, Sergio seeks out the solace and comfort of working-class Cuban women but finds the experiences shallow and unsatisfying. In these relationships, Sergio sees a mirror of Cuban culture: the "underdevelopment" of a nation that shifts so much the people have "an inability to relate to things." Some will find Sergio's odyssey to be a chauvinistic journey of self-discovery. (In other words, what will be illumined by film's end is a toad in male dress.) But a few will see beyond the inherent weaknesses of the main character and gain an insightful glimpse of political life in a Third World country--where the divisions between heart and mind are not afforded the clean separation offered by a stable democracy. Recommended. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Aug. 21, 2018—Criterion, 98 min., R, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray and DVD, 1968’s Memories of Underdevelopment features an excellent transfer with uncompressed monaural audio on the Blu-ray release. Extras include the 2008 documentary Titón: From Havana to 'Guantanamera' on director Tomas Gutiérrez Alea (97 min.), interviews with Alea (17 min. and 12 min.), film critics B. Ruby Rich and Jose Antonio Evora (19 min.), novelist and screenwriter Edmundo Desnoes (16 min.), and costar Daisy Granados and editor Nelson Rodríguez (10 min.), and an essay by author Joshua Jelly-Schapiro. Bottom line: this Cuban classic shines in high-def.]