English subtitles ← Habana Blues 1 Follower 1861 Lines I have participated in the prodcution of thes. English subtitles for Habana Blues (2005). Not migrated Subtitles had not been migrated yet, some functions may not work.

With: With: Alberto Joel Garcia Osorio, Roberto Sanmartin, Yailene Sierra, Zenia Marabal, Marta Calvo, Roger Pera, Julie Ladagnous. An enjoyably anarchic love letter to the never-say-die spirit of Cuba and to music as a way of life, “Habana Blues” is a vibrant portrayal of a group of musicians struggling to make the big time. Like all love letters, pic is part-inspirational, part self-indulgent, and overlong, and helmer Benito Zambrano’s keen sense of emotional nuance — as revealed in his 1999 debut “Alone” — takes a backseat here. Pic isn’t a “Buena Vista Social Club: The Return” but should generate arthouse interest offshore for the infectiously upbeat ambience of its early reels and classy soundtrack. Ruy (Alberto Joel Garcia Osorio) and dreadlocked buddy Tito (Roberto Sanmartin), the owner of a delicious red ’52 Chevy, are the key members of Habana Blues, a band that plays rock-soul fusion. (Audiences’ tolerance of the music, of which there’s a lot, will partly determine whether they like the film as a whole.) More Reviews Ruy’s commitment to his music means his relationship with Caridad (Yailene Sierra) is suffering: They have two kids and no cash, and she has dropped out of college to work. Wale The Album About Nothing Zip File.

Tito lives with his spiky, cigar-smoking, ex-chanteuse grandmother, Luz Maria (the wonderful Zenia Marabal). A disc-jockey contact introduces the boys to talent-spotting Spanish producers, Marta (Marta Calvo) and Lorenzo (Roger Pera), who make them an offer to leave Cuba for Spain, where they’ll have a shot at the big time.

However, Ruy is now sleeping with Marta, and Caridad decides to leave him and take the kids to try and start a new life in Miami. Ruy is left facing the age-old dilemma of having to choose between fame and family — and, less convincingly, given the basically commercial fare his band plays, between musical integrity and selling out.

Once these questions are posed, not much else happens until they’re resolved at the end in an affecting five-minute sequence. This is shot with a compression that would have been to pic’s advantage had Zambrano employed it earlier, rather than faithfully recording every last gasp of every conversation. Too much of the second hour consists of going-nowhere bickering, which would work if Ruy and Tito were in some way really lovable rather than simply optimistic good-timers. Thesp Garcia Osorio attempts to make Ruy interestingly complex but doesn’t touch emotional base until the final reel, when it’s too late. However, Ruy’s wife, Caridad, is a terrific character, and Sierra makes the most of her opportunities. Pic spends little time on the streets, which means Havana doesn’t get the usual picturesque treatment, apart from a couple of aerial shots and a brief sequence under the rain.