Guantanamera

The film started out with the song Guantanamera "girl from Guantanamo" a best known Cuban song. So I would have to say that music is a big part of the culture and music was played all through the film. Again family seems to be important. Yoyita visits her niece Gina. They have lunch and drink. While they are talking Yoyita offers Gina to smoke with her. Gina tells her Adolfo doesn't like me to smoke. But Gina does anyway. When the two of them are out shopping Gina sees a dress she likes. Yoyita tells her to buy it. Gina says Adolfo doesn't like low cut dresses and so she doesn't buy it. Yoyita asks about a man named Candido that she was in love with as a young girl. Yoyita ends up meeting up with Candido. As they reminisce and you see that they still have feelings for each other Yoyita ends up dying. This part was heartbreaking. I wanted to see the old love birds get another chance. As Gina's husband Adolfo is working we see how the warm climate culture communicate together. Adolfo starts talking and he calls them all friends and tries to be warm and friendly. He tries to keep the peace. Adolfo is an undertaker and he has political ambitions. I think that the film again shows masochism in so many ways during the film. Gina use to teach and now she wants to work again but Adolfo won't allow her to.
Now Adolfo, Gina, and Candido take Yoyita's body to Havana. On their journey you see more of Adolfo's dominate behavior. He has to be in control. He is on a mission to make more of himself through his work. He wants to be someone. Tony is a driver that works for Adolfo. As Tony drives more culture comes out. He plays the radio along the way. He buys and sells things off the street during the journey like bananas and garlic. When they stop places they have coffee, rum, tea, and cigars. Adolfo keeps getting up set as things happen out of his control. He is on a tight schedule and unexpected things keep happening.
During the journey Gina keeps crossing paths with Mariano. He was a student of hers. He had written her a love note then they never saw each other again until now. Mariano has been a playboy and he has trouble with women because he has so many. He is a truck driver who has a woman at each stop. His partner Ramon ends up getting hit with things that these women throw at Mariano. Which is funny during the film. Candido speaks to Gina on the journey telling her that he sees her desire to live. He knows she is not happy. He sees the way that Gina and Mariano look at each other when they cross paths. While Ramon and Mariano drive they pick up hitch hikers along the way. This is another culture aspect we see.
By the end of the film Adolfo hit Gina for wearing the dress she ends up buying. He calls her a whore. Gina ends up with Mariano. Candido dies when he tries to say goodbye to Yoyita's but it wasn't her the caskets got switched.
I thought this film was funny at times. I thought it did show a lot of culture. But it seemed to be drawn out a little to long. Candido said loneliness is the worst sort of hungry. I think that meant if we are with the wrong person we will always be lonely and never full filled.