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Herald Rating: ***
An enjoyable if unremarkable story of the family ripples caused when a couple of Cuban musos get their chance to make it, this is also an unsentimental portrait of the hardscrabble lives of ordinary people in the city of the title.
Habana Blues is the name of a band of which Ruy and Tito (Osorio and Sanmartin) are the key members. But this is no Buena Vista Social Club II; the music isn't as good and the film is fiction.
The young men's devotion to their art is causing trouble for Ruy at home, where he and Caridad (Sierra) are struggling to make ends meet as they bring up two kids.
Life's easier for Tito who shares a house with his grandmother (Marabal) a former crooner whose passion for cigars and rum has not dimmed with age.
When a couple of Spanish talent scouts (Calvo and Pera) arrive and offer to take the boys to Spain and a shot at stardom, Ruy is forced to choose between staying with his family and seeking his fortune. Things get complicated.
The movie is a bit sluggish in the middle - it might have been better at 90 minutes than 115 - but it is kept afloat by the boys' energy and terrific performances, particularly from Sierra as the put-upon but very unmartyrlike Caridad. Best of all, the film nails Cuban life dead centre: telephones have very long cords so they can be passed between houses, the old Chevrolets are not charming close up and if you leave, you can't come back.
Cast: Alberto Joel Garcia Osorio, Roberto Sanmartin, Yailene Sierra, Zenia Marabal, Marta Calvo, Roger Pera Director: Benito Zambrano Running time: 115 mins Rating: R13, sex scenes and offensive language Screening: Academy Verdict: The story of a couple of struggling musos has some lovely performances and is a clear-eyed view of life in Cuba.
