Viva

Viva, directed by Patty Breathnach, takes place in La Habana, Cuba. The protagonist is 18-year-old Jesús (played by Héctor Medina). Jesús has lived alone in the apartment for several years since his mother’s death. He has not seen his father, who was imprisoned for murder when he was 3. To survive, he is a hairdresser for women in their place of residence or work, fixes wigs for transgendered night club performers, and sells his body. One day he realizes that he will fulfill his destiny by dressing up as a women and performing at the night club. He then takes Viva as his stage name. However, his father Ángel (Jorge Perugorría) is released from prison, discovers him singing at the nightclub, punches him, and moves back into the apartment again. Father and son now need to establish an understanding. After Ángel asserts some machismo without success, he reveals that he was released from prison with terminal lung cancer. Jesús now becomes his father’s caretaker, and Ángel accepts his son’s lifestyle in the process. The film not only provides an image of the transgendered scene in Cuba but also a panorama of life in the rundown capital of the country.  MH

Scroll to Top