“Elena” is the name of an apartment building in Havana, Cuba, which—like thousands of others in the city—has had no upkeep or repairs in more than 25 years. Tenants live with crumbling walls, seeping raw sewage, exposed electrical wires, and holes in their floors—all of which they here show to Cuban filmmaker Marcelo Martín. The documentary describes how official bureaucracy and lack of funding have stranded people in untenable conditions. In 1988, the government demolished bathrooms and kitchens in a number of units but never rebuilt them. Many occupants moved to shelters while waiting for repairs but went home again following a decade with no signs of progress. In 2009, a brigade of construction workers arrived on the scene, but in interviews the builders talk about incomplete paperwork and missing materials, while Martín's camera captures numerous examples of shoddy work. Eventually, the remodeling activity—such as it is—comes to a halt. Promises that renovations will soon resume are not kept, and residents continue to deal with improvised “solutions”—such as makeshift toilets and cooking facilities that they've cobbled together in rooms that are literally falling apart. They and their neighbors rattle off the names of “shameless or just incompetent” provincial agencies that they've telephoned or written to, to no avail (Martín makes and records a few calls himself and gets the same runaround). A heartbreaking portrait of a structure and its inhabitants on the verge of collapse, Elena is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Puffer-Rothenberg)
Elena
(2012) 42 min. In Spanish w/English subtitles. DVD: $248. Icarus Films. PPR. Volume 30, Issue 1
Elena
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: