Life in Cuba for three struggling families over the course of 45 years, from the cautious optimism of the early 1970s to the harrowing 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union and the 2016 death of Fidel Castro.
Director:
Jon AlpertWriter:
Jon Alpert (screenplay)
From metacritic.com
This is a sorry excuse of a documentary that completely covers up the horrible atrocities committed against the Cuban people by the Castros. It tries to act like it's being unbiased but it constantly portrays Fidel Castro as a very nice and misunderstood leader who is a victim of the U.S. embargo. The filmmaker gives him presents? Disgusting! I don't think anyone would have approved of a documentary of Hitler walking around being a likable guy, but somehow it is okay to do it with Fidel Castro even though he's also a mass murderer.
I lived in Cuba in the 70s and the food rations and blackouts that are only shown here during the 90s already existed. While he shows briefly the attacks on the people trying to leave to the U.S. in 1980, he doesn't show anything about the people who are sent to jail simply for being critical of the government. There's mention of the free healthcare, but no mention of the fact that there are no medicines available since the 70s not just the 90s. And while Castro always blamed the embargo for the shortage of food and medicine, he continued becoming richer and richer off of the exported goods through cheap labor. He owned property all over and lived in the lap of luxury while his people starved.
Where does this show children being forced to cut sugar cane for free during the summers since 7th grade? Where does this show men and women being forced to serve in the military? Where is the mention of the rampant prostitution of women and children, because that is the only way that people can make dollars and euros to be able to feed their families? Where is the interview of Cubans in the U.S. who can speak freely about the atrocities committed in Cuba? Do you really believe that millions of people have fled the island purely because of economic reasons? You interviewed people who could not speak freely and record that as news?
Mr. Alpert, you are no journalist. You have created nothing here but Cuban government propaganda and you should be ashamed of yourself. You are a sorry excuse of a human.