MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

A man finds that friendship and understanding can span many boundaries -- age, politics, and gender preference among them -- in this comedy-drama from Cuba. David (Vladimir Cruz) is a student and ardent Communist whose personal life is in something of a slump; his girlfriend recently left him to marry another man after he took her to a hotel in hopes of seducing her, and she announced that she couldn't believe anyone could make love in such an ugly room. One day, David stops by the park and gets some ice cream, where he meets Diego (Jorge Perrugoria); as if his flamboyant manner wasn't announcement enough, David is convinced that Diego must be a homosexual because he's eating strawberry ice cream, even though it's one of the rare days when chocolate is available. David is less than impressed with Diego's open criticism of Castro's regime (especially the government's persecution of gays), but he accepts an invitation to visit Diego's apartment; while David realizes that Diego has seduction on his mind, this is outweighed by the knowledge that Diego's flat houses such forbidden pleasures as Time Magazine, American record albums, and Johnny Walker Red scotch. David's friend Miguel (Francisco Gatorno) is convinced that Diego is a dangerous dissident and urges David to spy on him and pass along his findings to the government. But the more time David spends with Diego, the more he finds that he's intrigued by this very different man, and that he enjoys spending time with him; David also finds he likes Nancy (Mirta Ibarra), Diego's sexy neighbor. Helmed by legendary Cuban director Tomas Gutierrez Alea and based on a story by Senel Paz, Fresa y Chocolate was the first Cuban film to be nominated for an Oscar (Best Foreign Language Film of 1995); it also won honors at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English
• Features:
  • • cc English subtitles
    • Widescreen image (1.85:1) enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Foreign Language Film - 1994 (Juan Carlos Tabió)

• Berlin International Film Festival

•     Won Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize - 1994

• National Board of Review

•     Nominated Best Foreign Film - 1994

• Telluride Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 1994

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabió

• Screenwriter:

  Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Senel Paz

• Cinematographer:

  Mario Garcia Joya

• Composer (Music Score):

  Jose Maria Vitier

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Germinal Hernandez

• Editor:

  Miriam Talavera, Osvaldo Donatien

• Production Designer:

  Fernando O'Reilly

• Executive Producer:

  Georgina Balzaretti, Camilo Vives

REVIEW:

• The setup sounds like Kiss of the Spider Woman -- committed politico and homosexual exchange views in a Latin American setting -- but the mood is less grim and surrealistic. The odd couple dynamic works here because the script doesn't turn David, the young Communist, and Diego, the gay man, into symbols. David is young enough to be blindly committed to the cause of Communism, but not so entrenched in his social views as to dismiss Diego out of hand. Once Diego understands that David will not yield to him sexually, he tries to seduce him intellectually by offering him books to read and challenging his knee-jerk world view. Diego's apartment becomes their shelter from the world, a place where they enjoy music, discussions, and good food. David's sexual relationship with Diego's neighbor, Nancy, actually serves to bind the men closer together, as Nancy is Diego's best friend and confidante. The film doesn't flinch from portraying the Castro government's persecution of gays, but director Tomás Gutiérrez Alea may have sidestepped political heat by setting the story in 1979. Both leads are terrific; Vladimir Cruz ably charts David's subtle changes, and Jorge Perrugoria makes Diego a character of enormous charm and sympathy. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi