Santa & Andrés (2016)

The story of an improbable friendship between a revolutionary country girl and a noncompliant gay writer she has to watch over for three consecutive days.

Director:

Carlos Lechuga

Writers:

Eliseo Altunaga (story), Carlos Lechuga (script)

Stars:

Lola Amores, Eduardo Martinez, Cesar Domínguez

5 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Lola Amores	...	Santa
Eduardo Martinez	...	Andres
Cesar Domínguez	...	El Mudo
Luna Tinoco	...	Isabel
George Abreu	...	Jesus
Ederlys Rodriguez Perez	...	Enfermera
Maikel Alexi Sánchez	...	Jefe de Sector

Storyline

This movie centers around the life of Andrés, who is a gay Cuban writer that had been imprisoned for 8 years due to his works not being compliant with the Cuban regime. He has begun a second book that he must hide from the government officials and from Santa when she comes to prevent him from leaving his home. Over time, they become friends and Santa begins to distrust a government that would be so cruel to a man that she trusts simply for his homosexuality. He is "publicly" shamed in front of two government officials and Santa when she is forced to throw eggs at him and the two men sing the Cuban national anthem while Andres cries. At the end of the movie, he attempts to leave the island with someone who will take him to Miami FL, and is able to escape with his book. Santa catches him as he is leaving, and gives him a hug, implying that she won't say anything about his escape. The ending is ambiguous in that we do not know if he made it to the US. In this film, which has been deemed ...

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Plot Keywords:

male name in title | female name in title | gay character | friendship | friend | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Facebook

Country:

Cuba Colombia France

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

October 2016 (Switzerland)

Also Known As:

Santa y Andres

Company Credits

Production Co:

Producciones de la 5ta Avenida, Igolai Producciones, Promenade Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

More in Common Than They Thought

Ostracized from society and banned from writing for his questionable ideology and sexual orientation, Andres is kept on a short leash by village authorities. During a three-day special event Andres is put under house arrest and assigned with Santa to watch over him. Santa is suspicious of Andres at first. She keeps her distance and watches him like a hawk. As time passes however, Santa realizes that she has many things in common with Andres. They are both isolated and alone. They are both kind to others and to animals (Santa often talks to her cow named Mariposa). As the two spend more time together and Santa confronts an indifferent boyfriend, Santa begins to wonder if a relationship with Andres is possible.

The film is a compelling portrait about the hazards of hasty judgments of others as well as the unfortunate Cuban divide of the past fifty years. While the acting is a little rough, captions are sometimes off the mark, the settings do not change a whole lot, and there is a scene of Cuban mythology that I didn't fully understand, the film is insightful and very enjoyable. I like how Santa and Andres find comfort by going to the sea and swimming, as immersing myself in the natural world brings comfort for me as well. Seen at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.