Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List
Spoiler-free premise
In the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs incident, Sergio chooses to stay behind in Cuba while his wife and family escape to neighboring Miami.
Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free+
After the Cuban Revolution, affluent intellectual Sergio remains in Havana while wife Laura and family leave for Miami. He drifts through apartments, streets, museums, political crowds, memories, and a relationship with younger Elena while analyzing a society he claims to understand.
Why it belongs
Essay montage, documentary footage, memory, and Sergio’s elegant but evasive narration make Gutiérrez Alea’s portrait of alienation self-incriminating.
Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case+
Newsreels, photographs, telescope views, apartment objects, Bay of Pigs history, trial records, and discontinuous memory place private detachment inside revolution. Sergio Corrieri's poise reveals intelligence without conscience-bound participation.
Major award wins
No verified wins in this six-institution crosswalk.
Awards are reference metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.
Institutional reference ranks
Sight & Sound169IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score
Great Cinema Master List scores
Greatness9.3
Engagement8.2
Ease6.3
Spanish · Not Rated Narrative Feature Mood: Absorbing & Reflective
