Cuba Amor

Judging from the sumptuous visual images in Cuba Amor, Fidel's island would be a great place to visit...if it weren't for a few small political problems which has kept it out of the league of such popular balmy vacation destinations as the Bahamas or the Caribbean Islands. A purely audio-visual essay, the film travels to various beaches, cities, and farms and observes people cooking, dancing, singing, making cigars, surfing, etc. The entire soundtrack is comprised of local and professional musicians performing native compositions with a bouncy salsa beat. Although everybody generally looks happy, one scene features what has to be the unhappiest looking group of musicians I've ever seen. I've no idea what the lead singer is crooning about, but at the end of the tune he grasps his privates, the expression on his face falling somewhere between macho and wistful. Maybe it's a song about baseball. Anyhow, while lovely to look at, Cuba Amor is a true oddity. Who wants a non-narrated look at a country they can't go to, filled with songs which they can't understand? A very optional purchase. (R. Pitman)