Hi All
Here are the notes and the blog question on Fresa y chocolate:
For the blog. Discuss your impressions of the film in the comment section. Explain how David and Diego’s characters represent the two opposing faces of the Revolution.
Popular Culture in Latin America
Readings and Class Notes for LAST 201
David represents one side of the young people who are ardent communists and loyal to the revolution. He believes that the revolution was a force for good and allowed him to go to university. Yet, we can also see how he changes and begins to question the methods of the revolution. At the beginning he was disgusted by Diego and say him as an enemy and a subversive Yet he changes and although he still loves the revolution, he also accepts Diego’s sexuality and tries to convince him that it will get better. David tells Diego that one day there will be a communist society where gay people can be accepted and happy.
Diego was young once and just like David, he loved the revolution and volunteered and worked hard for it. Yet, due to his sexuality he was ostracized and became disillusioned. He loves Cuba but he just wants to be free and be openly gay and to be able to admire all the art he wants without fear of repercussions.
I thought the film portrayed several issues with the regime in Cuba in a very convincing way. I believe the characters of David and Diego are not really so different from one another, especially towards the end of the movie; they both simply want to live their lives freely and do what they love; the main argument David makes in favor of the revolution is almost always the same: he is thankful because he can go to university in Havana even if he is from a poor, rural family, something which would not have been possible either before the revolution or in most other parts of Latin America (and the world). The preconceived ideas he has concerning homosexuality are easily broken by his encounter with Diego, which suggests he simply wants to learn and is willing to accept the flaws in certain of the ideas vehiculated by the regime.
I believe Diego and David perfectly represent the two sides of the Cuban Revolution. On the one hand we have David, who was able to go to university thanks to the revolution, and who therefore is an avid supporter. On the other hand we have Diego, who because of his sexuality has seen the ‘bad’ side of the revolution – he has been censored and discriminated against. For David, meeting Diego and becoming friends was an interesting path. When they first meet, the audience can clearly notice David’s pre-conceived perception of homosexuality, and, to a certain extent, he refuses to accept it and him. What is more, the good things he believed about the revolution were being questioned by Diego, which completely threw him off guard, and he did not know how to react. The friendship that develops between the characters is eye-opening for them both. David learns things about the revolution from a different perspective, and finally understands that it was not as good for everyone. Diego, in contrast, understands that someone who supports the revolution is not a terrible human. Though I think that the movie portrayed the characters in a very stereotypical way, even to an extent that can make the audience cringe, the message that it is trying to convey is very clear, and they manage to do it very well.
This film portrays an issue of nature vs nurture in which the two main characters Diego and David are born to the same environment and are in many ways, inherently the same. The revolution was the turning point in their nurture in which differences were politicized by the regime. Although, they both were supports of the regime at some points, the systematic discrimination of homosexuals created a divide between the two and caused Diego to be pushed away from society and to also push himself away from society. As the film goes on, we see a great relationship build between the two as they both understand the circumstances behind each others actions. David was fortunate to be able to attend university under the regime and Diego understands that just because David is a supporter of the regime does not mean he is evil and irrational. The portrayal of the two in stereotype behaviours is essential in conveying this point.
I thought the film covered a variety of issues during the Cuban revolution quite well. By using the two characters, Diego and David we get to see two different sides to how Cubans interpreted the revolution. David is seen as a young communist who favors the revolution whereas Diego is a homosexual man who opposes the revolution and disagrees with the stigma surround homosexuals in Cuba. We can also see how David is more susceptible to favoring the revolution due to the fact that he is able to go to university. In the beginning he doesn’t understand how others could oppose it due to all the good things it provides to cubans. However after meeting Diego his mindset slowly starts to shift. At the end of the movie, David begins to see that the revolution is not beneficial to everyone. The characters suited their roles well, but still they still fit these stereotypes that all homosexuals/ heterosexuals act a certain way and think certain things.
I liked the movie. Initially, I thought that it was going to just be a movie about homosexuality in Cuba, but then I realized that there was much more to it. The movie itself focused a lot on the revolution because it had to depict the social treatment of homosexuals in and after the revolution. The two main characters do a lot of work as well to showcase how there were two different faces within the revolution. Diego is the representative of the older age group of people, who, as a result of one simple part of his being, was not accepted into the revolution whole-heartedly. Diego talks about how he supported the revolution and put effort into helping it succeed, but because of the way he was treated simply because of his sexual orientation, he was not embraced by the revolution and obviously became somewhat less-supportive of it, though he also wants what would be best for Cuba. David, on the other hand, is the representative of the fresh-faced and optimistic side of the revolution. This is mostly as a result of the personal benefit to David, which is in the form of him being able to attend post-secondary – something he would not have been able to do otherwise. Over time, though, even David begins to understand Diego and see him as not an enemy of everything good, but as someone who should be understood.
I haven’t watch a number of movies about homosexuality, but this was very interesting. In Korea, people are still full of bias that appears in the movie. About David, he is the loyal communist and the activist who works for revolution. He wants to achieve revolution and I think he depicts the youth in that period. A lot of youth ran out to roads for protest and their mind is full of revolution. In contrast, Diego is older aged group, and even minority who is discriminated severely. Homosexuals were watched by police, and were not free enough to act as a royal activist. David could not understand Diego at first, but through experiencing reality together, he understand how it works for homosexuals, and the minorities. David thought revolution as a Utopia, but it was not really. Thus, relationship between two depicts two sides of revolution.
While I was at first very uncomfortable with the way Diego was portrayed, once I got past that I found the movie rather interesting. The contrasting characters of Diego and David provide the movie with a chance to explore a rather complicated topic and question. What do you do if you believe in the goals of a movement but they don’t believe you should exist? Diego knows that what the communist revolution is trying to do for Cuba is generally good even if they are homophobic, and in the long run he would like to support them, but how can he when they believe he is an abomination. He wants what is best for his country but he also wants what is good for him which is a very understandable dilemma. David’s character growth was also interesting to watch. His slow realization that the revolution was not as great as he thought it was fascinating and also something that I feel like a lot of young people go through as they mature. Overall I felt that the movie dealt with these difficult topics very well.
I thought the film was successful in portraying several of the issues the regime in Cuba has and expresses it in a very interesting way. I thought the two characters of David and Diego are not really so different from one another, especially at the end of the film. I believe this because it seems they both just want to live their life as free as possible and just do what they love. David continuously makes the same argument in favour of the revolution, he is thankful because he can go to university in Havana even if he is from a poor, rural family, something which would not have been possible either before the revolution or in most other parts of Latin America. The ideas he has concerning homosexuality are broken by his encounter with Diego, which suggests he simply wants to learn and is willing to accept the flaws in the regime.
David is a partisan. He avidly supports the revolution and its cause as it has allowed him, a poor rural kid, to attend University. Diego, who once supported the revolution, is seen now as an anti-revolutionary as he has been isolated and discriminated against due to his sexual preferences. At the beginning of the film David is a “die-hard” communist yet throughout the film you can see how is changes and comes to understand the flaws within the Cuban communist system. Diego, as an older person, has felt the wrath of the communist system throughout his entire life and now only wants to be able to live freely within his country, which he deeply loves.
I thought the movie “strawberries and chocolate” was originally going to be about a homosexual relationship during the time of the revolution. The character Diego who is gay tries to seduce the straight character David, who is a young communist and Diego fails at his attempt. I enjoy the flamboyancy of the character Diego and how over the top he is, even though not representational to the everyday “gay” male, i think his character is great. But they compromise and become friends and have an outlet to discuss politics, themselves, and expressionism during a time where people are somewhat scared of what is to come. This movie showcases much more than just a forming relationship, I like how this movie demonstrates from different perspectives what it is like to go through everyday life during such an interesting time in Cuba’s history. I like how Diego can express himself, and I find it interesting how it is shown that at this time he is treated differently than David. David’s character is represented as a young optimist with hope for the revolution. Over time the two can relate more and create a genuine friendship.
Diego’s outrageous, flamboyant attempt at seducing David will surely go down in cinematic and comic history, and yet “Strawberries and Chocolate” offers much more in the way of meaning than the story of a simple friendship. Through two well-rounded characters with whom the audience spends much time, Tomas G. Alea raises our awareness of the political and social realities of that time and offers insight into the kinds of arguments that were had between friends and families regarding their uncertain, precarious future. In addition, the eventual friendship formed between gay, communist Diego and straight, bourgeois David is heartwarming in message and view.
David and Diego’s character as first portrayed in the opening scene have completely distinct personalities. David on one hand is content with the revolution and is an avid believer for communism. This is mostly because of the way he has lived and how communism has actually helped him progress in life. Meanwhile Diego is not an avid believer toward the revolution and the communist party. This is mostly because of the critic and closed mindedness of the communist people toward homosexuals. These two characters represent the two opposing faces of the Revolution. But as the movie progresses they understand and respect the reason of their differences.
I enjoyed the film Strawberry and Chocolate very much. Initially, I thought it was simply going to be a film about homosexuality in Cuba, but I learned it was much more than that. I liked how the characters in the film were portrayed as completely opposite. The character Diego was also very funny in the ways that he tried to seduce David, a communist and supporter of the Revolution. However, I liked how the film ended as well. In the end, both characters are not really so different from one another. They both just wanted to live their lives they way they wanted, and most importantly they just wanted freedom and happiness.
I found the film strawberry and chocolate to be very interesting and enjoyable. I found the movie to explain and explore the Cuban revolution extremely well. I found both the roles are two characters David and Diego to have a unique dynamic in the film. I found how by taking to characters from two different walks off life and two different parts of the regime. I found that from being from two different walks off life both the character David and Diego you get a interesting perspective on how both people felt on each sides on the revolution. The characters of David and Diego were very easy to connect with as a audience as they were both very intriguing and added a lot to the movie. I found that the director did a great job at no only allowing the audience to understand what was going on during the revolution but was also able did a great job of making you feels as if you were in the revolution at the time. Overall, I really enjoyed this film and are interested in looking into more films by this director in the future.
I think that the movie does a good job of showing to a viewer with a limited knowledge about Cuban history the divide that the Cuban society had at a time. Diego believes in the revolution and his country cause this is what he has been taught and he does not want to question it. Diego chooses to acknowledge that there is a world beyond Cuba and it is not as bad as people try to make it out to be. He has all these books and art pieces from different countries. He believes in Cuba too and he tries to show to his country that they can be better and more appreciative.
Strawberry and Chocolate was a rather engaging film. Despite some choppy editing and some scenes that were a little inconclusive, the film overall is a strong commentary on the flaws of the Cuban Revolution, and may even try to function as a constructive criticism for any future attempts of the leftist movement.
At first glance David is the archetypal Cuban Revolutionary. He is a student in college, someone who believes in the Revolution unquestioningly. When David meets Diego, David sees not a person, but an enemy of the Revolution, someone whose existence is antithetical to his values. But as David gets to know Diego, he is able to see that Diego is someone just like him: someone with values and aspirations. Diego functions as a critic of the shortcomings of the Revolution, by being one of its main victims. Diego represents the oppressed gay man, a figure desperate to live, angry and discontent at the deprivation of his freedom. Diego is the artistic, compassionate, charitable side of the Revolution.
As David learns to overcome his homophobia and listen to Diego’s grievances about the exclusive, phobic, short-sighted revolutionary movement in Cuba, he begins to understand that if the Revolution is indeed to be worthy and global, it MUST be inclusive, and shed away pointless and destructive prejudices to work for the good of all people.
The way the film ends is a symbolic reconciliation of the two sides of the Revolution. The militant side embraces the idealistic, free-spirited, artistic, inclusive side of the Revolution. It is a display of solidarity and the expulsion of toxicity by showing compassion and understanding.
I like how the movie interpret what was going on in the country and that time, but most importantly it not only shows how the goverment was but also the influence it had in young people. The fact that being revolutionay meant all to them and all they do was to help their country to grow up. The example the movie gives about Diego deciding not to study what he really wanted because he thought it wouldnt be of any help to his country, comes to show how deep this sense of nationalism was and the things they were willing to do as long as if it was for the benefit of their country. I really liked the movie, I think it wa sreally interesting.
I found this movie very interesting and enjoyable. As the movie was set in Cuba, i thought that the cultural aspect was accurate and represented well. The movie was made in the 1990s, a time when gays and homosexuality weren’t as understood as well as they are today. The film completely overexaurates Diego, which I thought was funny. The plot revolves around David who hasn’t really found himself in a confusing time in Cuba. He befriends Diego whom is very flamboyant and kind of odd. Its revealed he’s a supporter of the revolution, but has distanced himself as Castro’s views on homosexuality become revealed. Overall I found this movie to be enjoyable due the historical and cultural applications, and the hilarious portrayal of Diego. Its take on homosexuality, whilst maintaining historical accuracy and an enjoyable drama has proven successful.
While watching the film, Strawberry and Chocolate I was very interested to see how they represented the lifestyle in Cuba. It seemed that the Cuban University played an important role in the lives of many, although it was always in the background. Considering, the time of the movie I think the movie was progressive for its time and for political, social culture in Cuba. With regards to the characters, David represents the regime along with the loyalty of many youth, having grown up with the regime. Supporting the benefits of attending University, which plays a crucial part in their lives. Diego on the other hand, represents the opposing side of the revolution. Much like David, he too admired the Cuban revolution at one point of his life, however, due to the discriminatory aspects of its society and he quickly learned, he wasn’t accepted in his beloved country. Initially David sees Diego as an enemy, as the movie progress they become good friends despite their differences, this friendship comes at the cost that Diego must flee the country. Speaking volumes for the political and social culture of Cuba.
I think think movie did a fun job of portraying conflicting ideologies and finding a way to get along. Diego and David differ in sexuality, political beliefs, a presumably morality, but eventually discover they both discover that they have more in common than they think. Both men are looking towards the future of their country and see many places where it needs to be fixed. I think this movie did a great job of capturing the context of the youth culture by featuring a university and by featuring the portrayal of someone from a marginalized group which would have been a bold move at the time.
I think that the movie was a great piece (definitely a victim of its time), that did clearly show warring ideas of how Cuba ought to have developed after the revolution. I really sympathized with Diego’s dissatisfaction of the revolution and its unacceptable and persecution of homosexuals. David to me just seemed like someone who was trying their best to ‘protect themselves’, but essentially only ended up being played by the system…which I do believe if how many Cubans felt after the revolution had changed its agenda on them.
I thought the film offered an interesting counter play with its two characters. What appeal to me about the dynamic between Diego and David was that they have differing political ideologies but both basically want the same same thing. I think that over all the sexuality of the characters is more of a peripheral plot element than it is integral to the nature of the characters, and it is more important to look at their political sidings and desires (sexual notwithstanding). It provided a good look on the difference of opinions on how Cuba developed following the revolution. I liked the film.
Diego and David do certainly present two sides of the revolution. Certainly, David embodied much privilege as a white-passing, straight young man. The revolution offered him many opportunities and advantages. On the other hand, Diego, as a gay man, faced many barriers ––especially in his work in culture and arts. The film presented these two conflicting positions through its contrasting with their evolving relationship. With distance from mainstream ‘revolutionary politics,’ Fresa y Chocolate shows how the revolution is failing gay or LGBTQ+ individuals. This film offers a poignant critique to this end.
I was expecting the film to be more of a LGBTQ love story during the time the Cuban Revolution, but was pleasantly surprised to find to that movie goes beyond that to make an given greater point about sentiments during the regime. David represents the young communists who are in favour of the revolution, after years of oppression under Batista regime there is a lot of hope for the future with Castro and the promises he made during the Revolution. Diego on the other hand, represents the group of people who are aware of the contradictions and oppression present within the regime and have a bleak view of how it will end up. Diego is older than David and also a gay man, thus he not only does he not have the young naive pro-revolution hopefulness as him but also he faces great oppression in the face of Castro’s anti-LGBTQ regime. Under Castro he faces exile and great discrimination, thus he is inherently on the opposite side of the revolution. He is not given much choice as the regime rejects anyone from the LGBTQ community, but he also is aware of the censorship and oppression present within the regime which does not give him much hope that this leader will be much different than the dictators of the past. They represent the two sides of the Cuban Revolution very well, as many were hopeful with leaders like Che Guevara and Castro that Cuba would change for the better, and while there were initial successes with the regime inevitably a lot of people changed their stance because the Revolution did not live up to the promises. While David and Diego do portray a very clear-cut, stereotypical portrayal of both sides of the Revolution, I do think that it is somewhat accurate because when it comes to Castro most people either love him or hate him, there usually is no in between.
The film represents a variety of aspects of the Cuban political climate throughout the lens of the characters very effectively. Diego and his strong views contradict with David’s juvenile yet humble attitude, although ironically towards the end of the film, their differences are settled to the some ends that they are still friends, or perhaps closer, though this is unclear because of the fact that David sleeps with Nancy. All of these discrepancies capture a valuable introspection into the political tensions amongst certain people in Cuba, namely the varying ideologies of socialites, artists and writers.
The film shows the different perspectives of life within the realms of Castro’s Cuba. What I found most interesting was the development of the friendship between Diego and David as it showed how Nation ideals and philosophies can arm people against each other without ever getting to know each other. It also demonstrated the different experiences of a political system by opposing members or those that don’t fit into the accepted roles.
The characters of Diego and David were not that different to one another, particularly towards the end of the movie. Diego is someone who supported and loved the revolution when he was young. However, due to his sexuality (he was gay) he became disillusioned. He still loved his country, but wants the country to accept his sexuality.
David represents the side of the young people who are communists and loyal to the revolution. His main argument in favour of the revolution is that he could go to university. However, what you can also see in the film is that his ideas and beliefs about the revolution begin to change. Even though he initially condemns Diego for being gay, he later accepts it and reassures him that things will get better- he even tells Diego that there will be a time where gay people will be accepted in society. This highlights that David just was willing to accept other ideas. As the film goes on, you can see that their relationship gets stronger as they both understand each other and what can be seen is that they both wanted to live their lives freely.
Es interesante como los dos personajes representan la revolución y la ideología pero no el sistema impuesto puedo de ella. Diego no ha dejado de ser alguien idealista a pesar de haber perdido la fe en su gobierno,un personaje como él es inverosímil puesto que dentro del contexto histórico la ley cubana no hubiera dejado que él expresara abiertamente su sexualidad. Por otorgado David se avisto beneficiado por la revolución mucho mas que su amigo. Es por ello que su fe en el sistema es mayor.
In Strawberry and Chocolate, we follow the main characters Diego and David through the Cuban revolution. In the early stages of the film it leads the viewer on to believe the film will mainly focus on the character’s homosexual relationship yet it branched into a more politically focused plot which was actually quite eye-opening for me. It was very interesting to watch how personality and circumstance can drastically change one’s outlook on life and affect them in so many aspects. This is particularly noticeable in the case of Diego who once supported the revolution in his younger years and was passionately enthralled in it but due to his sexual orientation felt out of place and his idea of a new Cuba began to fell apart as he began hoping to exchange this vision for a Cuba that simply accepted how he felt. While Deigo fell on the unpopular side of the revolution, David on the other hand was the prime example of what glory the revolution was supposed to bring such as the ability to go to university. While they both had different ideas they did at the end of the day hope for a future Cuba that was better and more inclusive.