Writing in VL-11/97, K. Lee Benson said: "Set in Castro's Havana, this impassioned drama charts the ill-fated love affair between Gustavo, a true believer, and Yolanda, a disenchanted dancer. Leon Ichasa's 1996 film traces Gustavo's growing disillusionment as he and his family face various obstacles, with Yolanda's yearning to emigrate to Miami eventually becoming the driving force that pushes Gustavo into becoming 'a traitor to the fatherland' with inevitably fatal consequences. Actors Rene Lavan and Mayte Vilan are indeed model Cubans (they're gorgeous!), tipping the scales in favor of this sometimes heavy-handed but nevertheless palpable polemic." On DVD, the striking b&w cinematography is even more vivid. Recommended. (R. Pitman)
Bitter Sugar
New Yorker, 102 min., in Spanish w/English subtitles, not rated, $29.95 Vol. 16, Issue 3
Bitter Sugar
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.
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