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The Project of the Century – The Death of Cuba’s Bright Future

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.

Anina (Uruguay) – A Whimsical Animation With A Unique School Punishment

Anina Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Do you miss the animations and story books you used to read as a kid? Anina will bring back your childhood with whimsical animation and a heart-warming story. If you have young ones or you’re young at heart, this one’s for you.

Why Watch Anina?

For anyone with kids, or your young at heart
To see it’s unique style which may remind you of a storybook
To hear the ‘worst names’ from Uruguay (Anina hates her name which is read the same forwards and backwards)
It’s here on YouTube (if you can understand Spanish)

The Breakdown

Anina starts at the end of a school day. Some parents are crowding round the entrance of the school waiting for their kids under their umbrellas. Some of the other kids are waiting at a bus stop nearby. It’s obvious who the protagonist is as she’s the only one with hair that stands out against the palette of grey, beige, and brown. Her hair is red and sticks out from her head. She’s Anina, our 10 year old protagonist.

You’ll notice the look of this animation is different to the Disney and Pixar films you’ve become used to. Firstly it’s 2D rather than the 3D used in most modern animation. Secondly, it’s uses a flat colour palette with no vibrant colours. As a result, Anina looks more like a children’s storybook rather than a vibrant Pixar film. This made it feel more whimsical and endearing.

One of my favourite stylistic moments occurs when she has a childhood memory. In the memory, the animation becomes even more basic than in the present: her facial expressions are less detailed and the background is plainer. It reflects the memories we all have, in which the detail is eroded by time.

Image result for anina

Conclusion

Like the best family films, Anina combines humour with a beautiful message about the family and friends. In addition, it’s unique animation evokes a nostalgia for children’s storybooks. If you’ve got young kids, or you still feel like a kid inside, Anina is worth a watch.

For more whimsical animation check out Song of the Sea by Tomm Moore. Also, no matter what age you are, watch Princess Mononoke by Hayao Miyazaki.

Hot Bread – One Spoiled Teenager Sent to the Country

Hot Bread Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Why Watch Hot Bread?

Experience rural Uzbekistan
To see a spoiled kid get sent to the country
For family sisterhood

From: Uzbekistan, Asia
Watch: FilmFreeway, IMDb
Next: Daughter in Law, Wallay, Yara

Farewell Amor – AFI Fest 2020

Farewell Amor follows a father reunited with his wife and daughter after 17 years living apart. It starts with their reunion in New York airport and then splits into three parts to replay each of their experiences of their first few days back together. This allows us to see each of their perspectives in order to understand each of them better. Whilst each of them see things differently, they all highlight the struggle of living together after a long time apart.

Their first few days together feels pretty awkward. There’s a clash of cultures between Walter and Esther, the reunited couple. Walter has become accustomed to U.S. culture after 17 years living in New York. He’s created a new life for himself with the immigrant community around him. By contrast, Esther hasn’t had the privilege of officially starting a new life, as she’s been waiting for her U.S. visa. To perhaps deal with the struggle and uncertainty of their long distance relationship, she has found peace and happiness in becoming a stronger christian. Their different paths have caused Esther to become more strict and passive whilst Walter has become accustomed to a more free and open way of life in the U.S. It’s shown in the treatment of Sylvia (their daughter) and in what they do in their free time: Walter dances whilst Esther cleans and shops. They’ve each grown apart over time.

However, the tone of the movie makes it feel like their differences can be worked out. Instead of emphasizing the drama in their new conflicting personalities, Farewell Amor uses a relaxed pace to give time for us to get to see each character through their own eyes. It makes it feel like the characters, like us, can see both sides of each other. That whilst they’re all struggling to adjust to their new lives together, they all know they’ve been through the hardest part and just need to persevere to make things work.

It’s a refreshing American made film about the African experience that focuses on family relationships instead of the usual war driven (Beasts of No Nation) and exceptional African (Mandela films, Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Queen of Katwe) narratives.

Head to our AFI Fest Hub for more reviews and short films from AFI Fest 2020.

Softie (Kenya) Pan African Film Festival 2021

Boniface “Softie” Mwangi was drawn to political activism during his time photographing the post election violence in 2007. Now, he’s running for office in a regional Kenyan election. To succeed, he has to radically change a democracy tainted by corruption, violence, and mistrust. This documentary follows his journey as he campaigns to reform Kenyan politics whilst struggling to hold his family together.

Unlike other political documentaries like Knock Down the House and The Great Hack where Western viewers might have a bit of familiarity with the focus (the Democratic “Blue Wave” of the 2018 House elections and the Cambridge Analytica controversy respectively), Softie’s story is unknown. Western media rarely covers the political protests and uprisings in Africa – especially sub-Saharan Africa where pro-U.S. dictators reside. Therefore, Softie has to do a bit more than these other films to get you up to speed with Kenyan politics. Luckily Boniface’s life is a kind of awakening to the national political situation, so this is covered within his story – his life as a photographer led him to political activism, and his political activism led him to run in the elections. The filmmakers concisely fill in the gaps – British colonialism creating a nation governed by tribalism – to flesh out a more complete picture.

The majority of Softie takes place during his campaign for office. It documents a lot of the day to day tasks of campaigning much like Kazuhiro Soda’s Campaign – from handing out flyers and greeting locals to securing funds to keep it going. However it’s not quite as focused on just the campaign, as we also follow Boniface’s wife (Njeri) and children on a personal level as they bounce between Kenya and the U.S. to escape death threats. It feels like we have almost unrestricted access to both Boniface and Njeri’s personal lives. Boniface first tells Njeri of his goal to run for office on camera (her reaction gives that away) and we’re often closer to Njeri and their children in the U.S. than Boniface is in Kenya making it feel like we know their emotions better than their other halves. It almost feels like we’re the relationship mediator between them at times. This personal, emotional layer emphasizes the challenges of trying to build a family whilst focused on your career, allowing us to empathize with them much more.

The other negative plus that Softie has on the U.S. political documentaries is that the political situation in Kenya is more immediately dangerous than those in Knock Down the House and The Great Hack. Boniface’s life always feels in danger of being extinguished by his political rivals, as journalists and people linked to the voting systems are murdered whilst his story is told. The higher stakes make this film more urgent and tense. It sometimes feels like we’re watching a hagiography of someone that will be martyred.

If you’re looking for an observational documentary that follows a political activist trying to change a corrupt system by running for government and the effects this has on their family, Softie is the film for you.

Check back to our Pan African Film Festival 2021 page for more reviews coming out of the 29th edition of the festival.