De Cierta Manera
De cierta manera (One Way or Another) is a 1974 Cuban romantic drama film. Directed by Sara Gómez, the film mixes documentary-style footage with a fictional story that looks at the poor neighborhoods of Havana shortly after the Cuban Revolution of 1959. The film illustrates the history before the background of the development process in Cuba. It demonstrates how tearing down slums and building modern settlements does not immediately change the culture of the inhabitants. Gómez completed filming with Mario Balmaseda and Yolanda Cuellar just before her death; technical work was finished by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Julio García-Espinosa y Rigoberto López before its posthumous release.
| De cierta manera | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Sara Gómez Julio García Espinosa Thomas González Pérez Tomás Gutiérrez Alea |
| Written by | Sara Gómez Julio García Espinosa Tomás Gutiérrez Alea |
| Starring | Mario Balmaseda Yolanda Cuellar |
| Music by | Sergio Vitier |
| Cinematography | Luis García |
| Edited by | Juan Varona |
Release date | 1974 |
| Country | Cuba |
| Language | Spanish |
Plot
Yolanda, a female teacher, cannot find the best methods to teach the marginalized children of the slums because of their different origin. Mario, a worker in a bus factory and a typical macho man, is confronted by Yolanda's instinct for emancipation. The two nonetheless become lovers. Their relationship portrays the idea that racism, sexism, and class-based prejudices must be demolished in order to succeed.
Reception
The film does not contain action in the traditional sense, but it portrays, through an unusual mixture of documentary-style modules and fiction, the conflicts in Cuban society that remain unsolved today.
As De cierta manera reveals, Gómez was a revolutionary filmmaker with intersecting concerns: the Afro-Cuban community, its cultural traditions (including Abakuá and Santería), women's issues, the treatment of marginalized sectors of society, and the role of family within the context of the revolution and workers' rights. For its time, the film was extremely radical both in form and content. Hence, Sara Gómez remains one of the most significant filmmakers from Latin America.