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:

communist | friendship | gay | chocolate | homosexual | 

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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

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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cuban's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 67th Academy Awards. As of 2014, 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

Featured in At the Movies: Bad Company/Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog/Murder in the First/Higher Learning/S.F.W./Strawberry and Chocolate (1995)

User Reviews

it is a friendship between two different men in spite of their sexuality difference. Around 1979 Cuban governments's oppressions toward homosexuals.

Fresa y chocolate

I liked to watch Fresa y Chocolate; this is first Cuban movie I've seen. Fresa y Chocolate is a product of two directors, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío in 1993. Fresa y Chocolate was nominated in 1995 the best foreign film. During the production of this film the director Alea had cancer and for this reason Tabío had to help him to complete the movie. Later 1996 Alea die. This movie expresses the oppression of Cuban government toward the homosexual and the conflict also the friendship within two different men.

Around 1997 in Cuba,Diego (Jorge Perugorria ) the main character is a cultured gay and David (Vldimir Cruz) a young revolutionary college student. He is a naive and dogmatic. The story begins at a cheap hotel room where David and his sweetheart, Vivian tried to have first intimate experience together but ended up angry at each other, later Vivian marries to a much older man who is in the government office position. David, the wedding day feeling low come to an Ice cream shop near by school and over there David and Diego meet. At the begging, it was Diego's attempt to allure David but soon it change and in spite of their sexuality, these two different men establish a true friendship. Most of story take a place at Diego's apartment where full of things (art work, forbidden books, pictures...) for David's eye. It is a new and different world for David, a dogmatic and in a way an ignorant. Diego tells David about his anguish and problem toward the government. For him being homosexual hinder his work in Cuba and also his well being, too.

However, David learns much about art and literature from Diego and moreover, he learn how to enjoy and savor life. The message of this movie is tolerance. No matter what is one's sexuality people have genuine heart. They have hope, dreams, and frustration that life brings us.

I think this movie is worth to watch because Fresa y Chocolate gave me a chance to give a glance to Cuba, the country that I don't know yet. To me watching a good film lessens a tension of life.