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Suite Habana

EMAILPRINTCinema Tropical

Suite Habana reviews
55
9.7 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 4 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 4 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Documentary  |  Foreign

Written by: Fernando Pérez

Directed by: Fernando Pérez

Release Date:
Theatrical: April 28, 2006

Running Time: 84 minutes, Color

Origin: Cuba

Language(s): Spanish (with English subtitles)

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Heriberto Boroto, Iván Carbonell, Francisco Cardet, Francisquito Cardet, Julio Castro, Ernesto Díaz, Amanda Gautier, Waldo Morales, Raquel Nodal, Norma Pérez, Jorge Luis Roque, and Juan Carlos Roque

A poetic homage to the city of Havana, this film follows ten ordinary Habaneros as they go about their daily routine.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

70

Variety Jonathan Holland

The surprisingly watchable delight strikes universal chords.

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60

The New York Times Neil Genzlinger

An elusive but intermittently beautiful tone poem.

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50

The Hollywood Reporter Sura Wood

Aspires to the poetic but falls short because of a lack of dynamism.

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50

Village Voice Joshua Land

It's all pleasant enough, but the pretty pictures, languid pacing, and endless stretches of mood music eventually combine to soporific effect.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 9.7 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Bill M gave it a10:
Quite possibly my favorite Cuban film of the many I've seen. Reminiscent of La Ciudad, a dialog-free tribute to humanity. Moving, real and poignant. Well-lit, scored, directed and acted by non-professionals. A movie for non-critics apparently.

Irene M. gave it a9:
It seems as though the "common viewer" appreciatest he sensibilities of a movie like "Habana Suite" better than the professional critics, who don't seem to understand what the director intended and achieved: a tone poem highlighting certain (positive) elements of a Day in the Life of Havana. The mood is certainly somewhat sentimental, with no crime or violence or even confrontations in sight, but it also lends a melancholic, realistic insight into how hard it is to labor with one's hands (many shots celebrating craftsmanship and expertise which few folks in the "West" would be able to emulate nowadays), to work with minimal tools, to cook with limited foodstuffs.... And yet, still, to yearn for a life that celebrates art and performance and family closeness. Extreme closeups of the wonderful network of lines on ancient faces ... not a cliche, we hardly ever see this on screen. And nobody mentions the lively song and dance intervals accompanying the evening sessions, as well as the mood music -- somewhat soporific, admittedly -- that pans over architecture and humans, joining them together as some of the many faces of La Habana. A lovely film, and most Cubans like it, too.

Jennifer B. gave it a10:
Superb! I saw this movie in Habana in an old theater packed with Cubans when it first came out in 2003 . There was not a single dry eye--including those of the tough Cuban 20-something boy sitting next to us-- in the house when it was through. I don't care what the "critics" say; clearly they haven't been to Cuba and don't understand that what is on the screen is the way people *really* live (and it actually just barely touches the surface). It vivedly portrays the struggle to hang on both economically and spiritually. You don't go to see this movie to be entertained, you go to learn something and open your heart and mind to how Habaneros make it through each day.

John R. gave it a10:
Uncompromising art house triumph. The best Cuban film in decades.

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