
Ticket to Paradise
2011

Representation Score
Excellent
2015
Not RatedDirector
Agustí Villaronga
Runtime
125 minutes
Average Rating
No ratings yetNew Showbiz Analysis
The King of Havana is a gritty look at survival that delves into the fragmented lives of those on society’s fringes. It avoids a Western perspective by focusing on the specific socio-economic struggles of late-90s Cuba. The film effectively dismantles institutional authority, presenting state and social structures as sources of hardship rather than stability. However, it lacks clarity in representing specific disabilities, focusing instead on themes of hunger and misery.
Category Breakdown
The film highlights sex and passion as tools for survival. Though specific LGBTQ+ identities aren't confirmed, the emphasis on sexual liberation suggests a move away from restrictive social norms.
Magda and Yunisleidy are shown as key partners rather than just domestic figures. The story challenges traditional family structures by focusing on flexible, survival-driven relationships.
The film centers on a Cuban cast, providing authentic representation. By prioritizing the lived experiences of a underrepresented group in late-90s Havana, it avoids a Western perspective.
The story focuses on characters living outside formal structures, critiquing traditional institutions. It emphasizes individual survival and personal morality over state or religious rules.
There is no explicit depiction of physical or neurodivergent disabilities. The film highlights physical vulnerability through themes of hunger and misery, but the role of disabled characters is unclear.
Present on Screen
Limited or Absent
Official Synopsis
Recently escaped from reformatory, Reinaldo struggles to get by in the streets of Havana in the late 90s, one of the worst decades for Cuban society. Hopes, disillusionment, rum, good humor and above all hunger, accompany him in his wanderings, until he meets Magda and Yunisleidy, survivors like himself. In one or the other's arms, he will try to escape the material and moral misery surrounding him, living love, passion, tenderness and uninhibited sex to the limit.

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