La partida

Sun. Sex. Soccer... Survival

94 Mins
2013
es

star7.2/ 10

Cuba is not a country for young gays. Teen rent boy Reinier falls in love with a mate in the slum soccer field in their neighbourhood in Havana. Although obsessed with moneymaking to hold up his baby, teen wife, and wife's grandma, gambler Reinier always fails to get the stroke of luck he looks for. At the same time he cannot help being infatuated by Yosvani. Handsome Yosvani will give up his older, wealthy girlfriend (whom he hooked up to pay for a lavish life in the big city), and the work he does for her father, a loan thug, so much in love he is with Reinier. But the boys would fight hard to keep this love in the reckless Havana streets.

Review

CinemaSerf

A tough and gritty insight into young gay life in Cuba. Milton Garcia ("Yosvani") a small time rent boy and Reinier Díaz ("Reinier") an aspiring footballer live and work in poverty selling whatever they can - including themselves - just to keep their heads above the water. Needless to say, whilst their prostitution is accepted to some extent; any sort of homosexual relationship with affection, let alone love, is still very much a taboo. Antonio Hens gets the two young men to deliver strong, convincing performances as they take us through a fairly hairy story and try to give their love a chance to thrive. It's quite a tough watch and it doesn't pull it's punches...