Alumbrones

With U.S. and Cuban relations gradually warming, filmmaker Bruce Donnelly's documentary Alumbrones offers an insightful look at the self-referential nature of a society that was cut off from the rest of the world—through a longstanding embargo, as well as separation from two superpowers (the U.S. and the former Soviet Union). Centering on the evolution of homegrown art in Cuba over the last half-century, the film interviews Cuban artists of various ages and styles, as it explores how the nation's culture turned inward over the decades when Cubans were increasingly forced to fend for themselves. In many ways, Cuban art would reflect larger social trials and tribulations ranging from supply shortages to constant blackouts. The country's woes eclipsed other influences within the art community, although the emphasis remained on personal expression. Alumbrones (or “Illuminations”) is most interesting during its eyewitness accounts of the years after the Soviet Union fell and Cuba was suddenly cut off from foreign aid and imported goods. The anecdotes shared by many artists who lived through that period speak to the resolve of the human spirit in times of great scarcity. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)