Portrait of Teresa

Released the same year as the American film Norma Rae, this similarly themed Cuban film places less emphasis on the union rah-rahs, and more on the psychological dynamics of the home. Daisy Granados is good as Teresa, a textile worker, cultural arts activist, mother of three, and wife to a TV repairman (Adolfo Llaurado). Husband Ramon wants her to be the little woman, but Teresa--who loves her husband dearly--only asks for the freedom to be more. As the tension escalates, the pair fall into predictable, yet believable, arguments over man and woman's place in the universe. On the plus side, the story is compelling and nicely acted. On the minus, there's nothing new here, and both the look and music for the film scream 60s. Recommended for libraries with larger foreign film collections. (R. Pitman)