Paraíso

León Ichaso's Paraíso (“Paradise”)—the latest in a Cuban immigrant trilogy (preceded by El Super and Bitter Sugar) —tells the dark-tinged tale of a balsero:a man who crosses into the United States from Cuba by raft. When Iván (Adrián Mas) arrives in Miami, he tracks down the father he never knew: Remigio (Miguel Gutiérrez), aka El Viejo, a radio host who graciously invites Iván into his home and introduces him to his Cuban-immigrant community, including Alina (Lily Rentería), who works at a photography studio, and Henry (Juan David Ferrer), who sets him up as a cabana boy. After living a wild life in Havana, Iván is now trying to go straight, but runs into Flaco (Ariel Texedo), a crack-addicted figure from his past. Although Iván rebuffs him, Flaco is like a bad rash, threatening Iván's job and his relationship with El Viejo. Fortunately, Iván finds a better job as a photographer's assistant (as well as some modeling work) and takes up with Tamara (Tamara Melián), an aspiring actress he meets in a music store. On the surface, things couldn't be better—except for Flaco, a reminder of a troubled past that eventually brings out Iván's latent sociopathic tendencies. Combining black-and-white and color photography while shifting from crisp to grainy images, Paraíso feels like an art film carrying a message about illegal immigration, except that it's pure pulp at heart, concentrating more on the sex and violence that come to define its protagonist's life. A strong optional purchase. (K. Fennessy)