Rowan Sullivan

The Project of the Century Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Why Watch The Project of the Century?

• For an inter-generational family rivalry
• Witness the effects of a country falling from the world’s attention
• To visit a living failed nuclear project

From: Cuba, North America
Watch: Trailer, Vimeo, Tubi
Next: The Clash, Kings of Nowhere, I Am Cuba

The Breakdown

The Project of the Century opens like an old science fiction movie with green font on a black screen. Obviously this looks dated to modern eyes, and that is exactly the directors intention. For in this film, Carlos Machado Quintela conveys the failed hope of a nation. A Cuba that had so much hope for a prosperous future but was doomed to failure. It’s presented in the incomplete Cuban Nuclear plant where a father and son have come together with their macho grandfather for a strange time of bonding and reminiscing.

After a few stock images of nuclear power plants and white women on beaches signifying the promise of the science Cuban was invested in, the colors switch to a black and white present day (2012) to signify the dead hope. Instead of the vivid colors and vibrant life portrayed in the old tourist agency style videos, the actual location now looks more like a dystopia you might recognize from High Rise or Ion de Sosa’s off-season Benindorm based sci-fi Androids Dream. There’s just a cluster of high rise flats without any signs of life besides the three men, surrounded by abandoned construction sites. It’s meant to be a place meant to be brimming with people, but instead of rockets being launched, there’s just the smoke of fumigators patrolling the block. 

The three generations of the film (grandfather, father, son) represent the dying hope across the three generations of Cuba. The grandfather, having grown up during the revolution, still dreams of the brilliant promise of Cuba’s early days under Castro. He’s boisterous and stubborn, and refuses to listen to the despair of the younger generations. His son, now in his middle age, studied abroad in the USSR and Germany with some of the world’s top scientists. He was assigned with working on the ‘Project of the Century’ – the building of Cuba’s nuclear power plants, supposed to provide power to the country. However, after investing years of his life in the country and project, the USSR collapsed, leaving Cuba without allies and the resources needed to finish the great project. As a result, his life’s work was for nothing, and the excitement for a prosperous Cuban future was vanquished. His son, a man in his mid-20s is a symbol of the lack of hope and pride in present day Cuba. He’s jobless, has no direction, and disappoints his older relatives.

Having grown up in different eras, having been apart for some time, and being men, they argue and fight. Without jobs, hope for the future, and direction, fighting is just something to pass the time until the eldest dies and they can finally move on from Cuba’s brilliant history and pride.

What to Watch Next

Firstly, it’s worth watching I Am Cuba to feel the optimism that filled Cuba following the revolution that has died in The Project of the Century. It’s vibrant and full of energy to contrast with the darkness of this film.

You could also watch Kings of Nowhere or Once Upon a Time in Venezuela – two documentaries featuring towns that have seen better days. The former features a town consumed by a dammed lake, whilst the latter features a town being polluted by sediment.

Or if you’re looking for more macho family antics, check out The Clash. It features a Peruvian teenager going to live with his macho Peruvian dad in Canada.