User reviews

"Una noche" looks at the conditions in modern Cuba that have driven many citizens to flee the country. A common debate in the US is whether the conditions in Cuba are due more to the Castro brothers or to the US embargo/blockade*. This movie shows that whatever the case, the conditions there are pretty bad. As with the rest of Latin America, the tourists stay in fancy hotels but the hotel's employees don't get to share the tourists' experiences in the rest of the country. It turned out that the plot took on a real dimension when it premiered in the US: Javier Nuñez Florián and Anailín de la Rúa de la Torre both disappeared, reportedly defecting to the US. These things will probably continue as long as the embargo/blockade exists. Anyway, it's a really good movie.

*The US calls it an embargo, Cuba calls it a blockade.

I was delighted to attend the world premier of Una Noche at the Berlin Film Festival. I loved it, and judging from the audience's reaction, it went down very well.

Mulloy's cinematography feels very modern and sleek. The film has a high-budget feel, but I imagine the real budget was surprisingly small, and working in Cuba will no doubt present endless challenges to the director's artistic vision. The technique of montaging-in seemingly unrelated shots into fairly simple scenes definitely builds up a complex and rich background portrayal of Cuba, deeply aesthetic in nature. I'd say this technique works pretty well.

The film's real strength, however, is in its acting. All three lead characters have a brilliantly simply and very human chemistry, which Mulloy captured expertly. This is definitely a film about human relationships, not politics, and so appeals to the heart instead of the head. The plot works on a very simple premise, but that seems fitting. This is a very Cuban film - intellectually unsophisticated, but rich in heart and down-to-earth observations. Earthy, if you will.

The bold decision to set sail in the middle of the film splits it into two parts: a very colourful and vibrant portrayal of life (both good and bad) on dusty Cuba, and a bluey-grey abstract half which is both open and claustrophobic. In both parts, it is the acting which really prevails. The pacing was always good - with the film remaining relatively constant, as opposed to a fast-slow-fast-slow etc affair.

I left the cinema feeling as though Mulloy had not set out to impart a message, but rather to observe and tell a story. The film is surprisingly apolitical in its stance, given what it portrays and the subject matter itself. I'd say this film is classic storytelling mixed with a rich insight into Cuba. Maybe I'll go there for myself one day to see what it's like!

I had the privilege to watch this film at Berlinale 2012, and afterward to hear a Q and A with some of the actors, as well as one of the cinematographers and the director.

I really enjoyed this film. I found the story gripping, the actors convincing (especially considering they were previously untrained)and the overall film kept me hooked. In particular i felt the film showed a great balance between following the story while also managing to include a lot of street shots showing regular people doing regular things. I liked the way this was blended into the story, but didn't detract from it at all. Something else i think deserves a mention is the music and sound engineering. For a low budget film i found it superb. Not only was the music well chosen, and fitting for the scenes changes, but the overall audio presentation was great (this may have been partly due to the theater we were in though).

This is Lucy Mulloy's exam work from New York University. She's already a complete film maker. It's shot in Havanna and it's amazing this picture could be made there, because it's very critical against the Cuban police state, so much depending on tourists, that officers beat up citizens in the alleys, if they get too close in the wrong way to foreigners.

A twin couple, boy and girl, who are very close. Another boy, Raoul, who the twin boy is in love with, but he doesn't dare to show it, because of the macho surroundings. There's panic for different reasons and the three kids plan to leave Cuba in the most dangerous way.

A strong movie, far from clichés.

It is an American movie about Cubans. It seemed to me, the director did a research for years in La Havana just to confirm and show what she had in her mind previously. The movie lacks of Cuban heart. At times, she depicts La Havana as if it was a slum in India, Brazil or Haiti. A place full of poor people, without any support from any State. Where the State is just an oppressive machine. Cuba is full of contrasts, and each one who goes there, or lives theres, or was born there, looks into different aspects. The director, was not able or did not want to move her point of view, into something less conventional.

This is a fantastic movie. All actors enacted their characters very well. The script (even though its in Spanish) and screen play are great!! Or more appropriately, the sub-titles convey the mood of a scene without losing anything in translation. The movie is action packed, has nail- biting moments, and shows a lot of fun and excitement along with desperation. The sound track is beautiful and makes me want to visit Cuba.

The Q & A session at the end of the movie in the TriBeCa Film Festival was very insightful about how the movie was made, despite the challenges. A small team of extremely dedicated and talented people have come together as a great crew to make this fantastic movie. Would love to watch this again in the theaters - can't wait for it's national theater release in the US. Hope it gets nominated for an Oscar and wins too!

I'm a Cuban who spent more than two decades living in the island thus I know what authenticity means when it comes to judging what is really Cuban and what is not. This is a very beautiful and quite accurate movie when it comes to the Cuba that I know. I wonder what kind of help Mulloy the director received from people in Cuba because the script couldn't be more Cuban (language expressions, characters, locations and so on). She has managed to give us a very fresh picture of the Cuban reality despite of course the necessary dosage of fiction that the movie carries. I think Mulloy achievement with this production is far from trivial. Other more resourceful and heavy weights in the movie industry like Benicio del Toro have not being able, in my personal opinion, to capture Cuba so powerfully (thinking of "7 days in havana"). Kudos to Mulloy and all the people involved with this production for this wonderful gift to the world, but especially to the Cubans living abroad who can't stop from missing the island every single day of their lives. Thank you and know that have given this review a 9 because I don't believe in perfection.

Lucy Mulloy's "Una Noche" (One Night) takes you into the depths of the Cuban culture and exposes how far its main characters are willing to go to find a better life. Daniel Arrechaga, who plays Raul, is an energetic free spirit who's been drowning in the sedentary existence of his mundane job while at the same time trying to sell and trade whatever he can to support his HIV positive prostitute mother. But time is running out as Raul's gets restless and proceeds to unintentionally create a situation for himself that will force him to flee in order to avoid prosecution. His childhood friend Elio (Javier Núñez Florián) and sister Lila (Anailín de la Rúa de la Torre) are in similar desperate situations as they find themselves facing daily austerity in the face of an impending bleak future. Raul's unawareness of Elio's feelings towards him makes matters ever more interesting as both men choose to embark on an odyssey at sea on a made up raft. Their plans are altered by Lila, a sudden addition to their trip. With only a concept and very little to work with, this threesome sets out to sea hoping to survive the treacherous and at times life threatening waters in order find a new life in Miami. All three find themselves in a dicey situation as Lila's menstruation becomes a call to feast from hungry sharks and a catalyst to an unnerving and troubling ending.

The leads performances and fascinating look into surviving a very repressed Cuban society with stern consequences for those who choose to engage in minor infractions, is what makes this remarkable and sexually charged feature a journey you will never forget.

It is a country that lies only 90 miles outside of U.S. borders but decades of political discord have kept the story of Cuba from American eyes. 'Una Noche' the feature film debut of British director Lucy Mulloy, tells the story of three brave, and daring teens who venture to cross the treacherous ocean and prevail against a fate of poverty and injustice.

The cinematography is stirring and captivating. The performances are natural and engaging. Mulloy is a brilliant director who presents a seamless motion picture, tenderly and candidly.

The harsh and bleak trappings of scarcity as well as the joy of family and friends play as the background to a cleverly written love triangle. Adrenaline fuels the urgency of the characters' desperation.

As a viewer you feel as though your passport has been stamped. You've received an all expense paid trip to the pain and the paradise of the communist island nation.

It is a film like no other. You hold your breath and pray for the shore line to be merciful --- and edge closer.

. Overall I really I enjoyed this film. I thought that it did a nice job showing the daily lives of Cubans, that some to this very day still have to go through. It should the social and economic crisis of Cuba, and how most people are treated very poorly due to their social status. The actors in the film were able to emotionally and physically act in the way that made everything seem more surreal, and the fact that they spoke the native language, made things even more intriguing to watch. Seeing this film can make others realize that there are people in the world who are less fortunate, and are living in extreme and horrible conditions, and have to commit to doing something that they would not do if they were given a choice. I would not have changed anything in the film, because I was emotionally connected to every scene that was presented, the ending of the film led me to curiosity, because it doesn't actually tell you what will happen to the main actors, it leaves you thinking what you would think will happen, and that makes a great film. Based on this reasoning I would give this film a 5/5 stars

This film is brilliant on so many levels from the story, to character development, to script, cinematography and editing. It completely conveys the chaos and desperation of trying to escape an oppressive society, that in spite of the ties of family and community, makes life unbearable. Add to that the coming of age man loving man story in a homophobic Cuba and you can see why these two young men have to run away.

The story unfolds, unrolls, runs through myriad streets, chases, alley ways, emotional twists and turns all very organically. That is the talent of the director and editor to capture the texture of the lives of the characters in the life of Cuba.

I'm surprised this film didn't garner notice or awards as far as I could tell.

Definitely worth watching. It's a great example of contemporary neorealism or neo-neorealism! This could have been a film by Passolini.