Strawberry and Chocolate (1993)

This Oscar nominated film is the story of two men who are opposites, one gay, the other straight, one a fierce communist, the other a fierce individualist, one suspicious, the other accepting, and how they come to love each other.

Directors:

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío

Writers:

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea (collaboration) (as T.G. Alea), Senel Paz (screenplay)

Stars:

Jorge Perugorría, Vladimir Cruz, Mirta Ibarra

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 25 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jorge Perugorría	...	Diego
Vladimir Cruz	...	David
Mirta Ibarra	...	Nancy
Francisco Gattorno	...	Miguel
Joel Angelino	...	German
Marilyn Solaya	...	Vivian
Andrés Cortina	...	Santero
Antonio Carmona	...	Groom
Ricardo Ávila	...	Taxi Driver (as Ricardo Avila)
María Elena del Toro	...	Passenger 1
Zolanda Oña	...	Passenger 2
Diana Iris del Puerto	...	Neighbor

Storyline

Diego, a cultivated, homosexual and skeptical young man, falls in love with a young heterosexual communist full of prejudices and doctrinal ideas. First come rejection and suspicion, but also fascination. Fresa y chocolate is a coming-of-age story, told through the development of a great friendship which overcomes incomprehension and intolerance.

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Plot Keywords:

loyalty | communist | friendship | gay | chocolate | 

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Taglines:

Savor the flavor

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brief strong sexuality, and for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cuba's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 67th Academy Awards. As of 2020, it remains the only Cuban film to be nominated for an Oscar.

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Goofs

The blue Cadillac seen at the end of the film was not made until the 1987 model year.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Just Cause/Billy Madison/The Brady Bunch Movie/Mr. Payback (1995)

User Reviews

Landmark Cuban film about the plight of homosexual artists in Communist Cuba.

This film isn't just an "odd couple" story, as it can appear at a first glance. This is a landmark Cuban film about the plight of homosexual artists in Communist Cuba. Being homosexual in Cuba in the 60's and 70's, maybe even the 80's, could mean incarceration or being sent to "colonies", often hard labour camps. What makes this film extraordinary is that it was made by a Cuban director who had been himself part of the Communist intelligenzia at the beginning, but could still be objective and therefore critical of the intolerance of real socialism. What also makes the film extraordinary is that the film itself was a box office success in Cuba and helped change attitudes towards homosexuality. Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, or Titón, as he was known in Cuba, is the greatest and best loved Cuban filmmaker, with a trademark black humour, best exemplified in his outstanding films Memorias del subdesarrollo (Memories of Underdevelopment) (1968) and La Muerte de un burócrata (Death of a Bureaucrat) (1966). His last film, Guantanamera (1994), which he made when ill with cancer, is a black comedy of "funeral" errors and criticism of Cuban bureaucracy. This is his legacy, the way he wanted his public to remember him, laughing at death.

Details

Country:

Cuba Mexico Spain USA

Language:

Spanish English French

Release Date:

20 January 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Strawberry and Chocolate

Filming Locations:

Havana, Cuba

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,080,805

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,087,569

Company Credits

Production Co:

Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos (ICAIC), Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE), TeleMadrid

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Black and White (archive footage: news broadcasts) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1