Memories of Underdevelopment

While not as awe-inspiring as the virtuoso brilliance of I Am Cuba, Memories of Underdevelopment does provide a fascinating snapshot of post-Revolutionary Cuba. Technically, it is equally rough around the edges with some ropey sound recording, but these deficiences are more than compensated for by the flair of the film-making. Photos, news footage, newspaper headlines, trips round Hemingway's house, all are woven into the film to provide context and commentary, and it's far from being straightforward propaganda. Sergio is neither a revolutionary or a counter-revolutionary. He might remain while others of his class leave but his main concern seems to be womanizing. Ending at the height of the Missile Crisis, both the fate of the country and of Sergio are open to doubt. He seems ready to finally abandon his country but one suspects he lacks the energy even for that. By contrast, the city around him is alive with activity as the new society prepares to meet the crisis head on. The film might be ambivalent about the Revolution but it certainly doesn't endorse the apathy of the society it replaced.