Life is to Whistle (1998)

Three characters in present-day Havana must choose between clinging to their self-restricting beliefs, or getting rid of them to live more freely. Ballerina Mariana has promised God ... See full summary »

Director:

Fernando Pérez

Writers:

Humberto Jiménez, Fernando Pérez

Stars:

José Andrade, Maudelet Badia, Elena Bolaños

17 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
José Andrade	...	Obrero Teatro
Maudelet Badia	...	Odalisca 2
Elena Bolaños	...	Anciana Asilo
Rolando Brito	...	Dr. Fernando
Alina Canizares	...	Profesora 1
Leandro Carfuso	...	Elpidito
Ines Maria Castillo	...	Cuba Valdes
Ileana Chávez	...	Secretaria 1
Michaelis Cue	...	Hombrecito
Annieye Cárdenas	...	Desmayados
Miguel A. Daranas	...	Director Asilo
Aramís Delgado	...	Vigon
Aimeé Despaigne	...	Profesora 2
Madeleine Garcia	...	Secretaria 2
Luis Alberto García	...	Elpidio Valdes

Storyline

Three characters in present-day Havana must choose between clinging to their self-restricting beliefs, or getting rid of them to live more freely. Ballerina Mariana has promised God celibacy if she gets the role of "Giselle"; Social-worker Julia always faints after hearing a certain word; and pot-smoking percussionist Elpidio was abandoned by his mother, coincidentally named Cuba, some time ago and has not yet gotten over the loss.

---

Plot Keywords:

public nudity | male nudity | male frontal nudity | daydream | psychologist | 

---

Taglines:

Tres historias, tres personajes y un fin común: la búsqueda de la felicidad en La Habana de hoy.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Details

Country:

Cuba Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

18 June 1999 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Life is to Whistle

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,846, 9 January 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$63,574, 12 November 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos (ICAIC),Wanda Films,Wanda Visión S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in La vida es filmar (1998)

User Reviews

it is a nice Cuban movie about the search for liberty and happiness

I liked this movie in general. The things I could not understand made it difficult for me to give a precise judgement at the end. It is, like many Cuban movies, full of life. It shows how people there take life so simple and how they are open to each other. It is a movie about the search for happiness and maybe liberty in Cuba. The society was also criticized. It showed that some people cannot hear the word liberty or honesty! In some parts the borders between reality and fantasy vanish which makes it more interesting like a mysterious taxi driver who knows about the destiny of all the people. He is perhaps the destiny itself personified in a nice person. Each one of the three protagonists live in his or her way and tries to find happiness in his (her) way. I am still asking myself about the meaning of the whistle in this movie! Probably it is a symbol of freedom. This movie is nice and worth seeing but is not one of my big favorites in the Latin American cinema.