Havanna mi amor

Each evening, as the sun goes down on Havana, the hour of the Telenovela returns once more. Thousands of Cubans gather in front of their rickety, half-repaired television sets to watch the minor and major dramas of their endless TV series. The film follows Gladys, the tobacconist’s shop assistant, Silai, the hairdresser, Felix, Juana, Marino and Vilma, all enthusiastic televiewers, and José, the repair-man, who miraculously reanimates old Soviet-made televisions that had seemingly given up the ghost. Day, week and year on end, their daily struggle is not unrelated to the episodes they watch, but there is rarely a happy ending. ‘So we decided to film all that. The suffering and despair of those in love, the self-confidence of women and how they treat men, the ever-present Telenovela and the problem of what to do when the TV set breaks down.’ (Uli Gaulke)