Today was a long day at the workshop. Glad to be able to meet Amanda later on for a movie at 9.30pm. It was shown at the new Cathay Cineplex, in an arthouse theatre known as The Picturehouse. The movie was entitled "Viva Cuba".



The story follows the adventures of two children who are best friends and possibly in love with one another. They are Jorgito (left) and Malú (right). Jorgito comes from a poor family whose father works as a contractor. Malú, on the other hand, lives in a middle-class home with her divorced mother and grandmother. Her mother has a lover overseas who sends money to support them.

Things change rapidly when Malú's grandmothetr dies. With nothing holding her back, Malú's mother wants to leave Cuba to join her lover overseas. In order to do so, she writes a letter to Malú's father to sign the exit papers for her to leave Cuba. On hearing the news, Jorgito and Malú decide to traverse Cuba, from their hometown at one end, to the other where Malú's dad works as a lighthouse caretaker. Malú wants to plead with her father; to stop him from signing the exit papers.

So they get into all sorts of advebtures along the way, evading police who are searching for them, and using their wits to travel and get food. The journey is a touching show of friendship, and shows Cuba at its most beautiful through the innocent eyes of the two children.

The ending is sad but poignant. At the end of the movie, on top of a rocky shore and among blinding spray, they embrace and cry out.

"If we squeeze each other tight enough, no one can separate us."