Strawberry & Chocolate

Buy This Item Strawberry & Chocolate by Walt Disney Video  Available from Amazon  $17.99  on 11-25-2008     Robert Redford and Miramax Films proudly present STRAWBERRY & CHOCOLATE, the irresistible comedy treat that's received outstanding critical acclaim! Meet David -- a naive young college kid who's out on his own for the very first time. With the help of two extraordinary new friends, David soon learns everything there is to know about the things that aren't taught in school! Diego is the writer who teaches him about the passion of life and Nancy is the woman who teaches him about the passion of love! Nominated for the Academy Award(R) as Best Foreign Language Film in 1994, STRAWBERRY & CHOCOLATE is a deliciously fun-filled celebration of life at its entertaining best! Reader Reviews I won't bother with plot points and such since lots of other reviewers have already done so, but I will say that this film is definitely worthy of the accolades and positive reviews it has received. I was particularly struck by the performance of Jorge Perugorría as the gay artist Diego. Perugorria's performance draws you in whether he is being sly and bitchy or indignant and passionate. His unrequited love for David (Vladimir Cruz) is both sweetly naïve as well as crushingly sad. I won't give away the final scene, but I will say that without Perugorria's stellar performance throughout the film it would have been a less powerful moment. But the film is more than just a gay man's infatuation with a young Marxist; it is also about the struggle of contradictory ideas and opinions in a world where the view is rigidly controlled. David is put off by Diego's flamboyance and flirtation, but he is quite fascinated by Diego's ideas and courage. The action takes place mostly in Diego's apartment, but the scenes of Havana are stark and somewhat depressing, showing buildings and sidewalks crumbling from neglect. At one point Diego takes David to the roof of his building and laments the collapse of the once beautiful Havana. The film was nominated for an Oscar and won numerous awards, including ones from the Berlin and Sundance film festivals, but its multiple awards at the Havana Film Festival may surprise some, considering the implicit criticism of the Cuban system contained in the film. Happily, Perugorria's extraordinary performance was recognized at the festival when he won for best actor.

Strawberry & Chocolate Available from Amazon Price: $17.99 Updated on 11-25-2008.

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