One Night

15 yrs 90 minutes • 2012 • 6.7

The scene of Lucy Mulloy's feature film debut is a dirty and shabby, wild and vibrant Havana where the differences between tourists 'and residents' Cuba could not be greater. The main characters are Lila, Elio and Raul, all three played by Cuban amateurs. Lila is a boy girl who has a hard time fitting into Havana's macho world. She sneaks up on other people. Even on her beloved twin brother Elio and his friend Raul. Raul tries to take care of his mother who is a prostitute and has AIDS. But one day he is suspected of attempted murder of a tourist, who is his mother's customer. Things escalate and soon the three young people are on a fragile raft fleeing the 15 miles on the high seas from Havana to Miami. Mårten Blomkvist on DN writes: One Night is a rare strong debut, full of color, atmosphere, and life. God knows how Mulloy managed to record this anti-regime critical film on the streets of Havana ... it's a love letter written with sadness in the heart. "