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El Super

Name: El Super
Director: Leon Ichaso, Orlando Jiménez Leal
Released: 1979
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

4.9/10

Fair

1979

Director

Leon Ichaso, Orlando Jiménez Leal

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

El Super offers a sophisticated look at the psychological dimensions of displacement. By centering the Cuban exile experience, the film moves beyond mere socioeconomic assimilation to explore the trauma of political history. While the film excels in ethnic and cultural authenticity, it remains limited in its engagement with other identity markers. The narrative structure relies on traditional family dynamics and lacks representation for LGBTQ+ or disabled characters. Ultimately, the film serves as a significant piece of storytelling by prioritizing the specific cultural history of the diaspora over mainstream, homogenized formulas.

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Category Breakdown

Does El Super have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on a traditional nuclear family of Cuban exiles. There is no explicit evidence of queer characters or narratives that challenge the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does El Super portray gender?

Fair

The story centers on standard domestic dynamics involving Roberto, Aurelia, and their daughter. It lacks explicit detail regarding women's ability to drive the story or challenges to traditional gender hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is El Super?

Excellent

The narrative provides a centered perspective on the Cuban diaspora in New York. It prioritizes the specific cultural and political struggles of characters of color.

How does El Super represent religion and culture?

Good

The film explores the friction between immigrant identity and the American urban environment. It avoids simplistic views of the American Dream by focusing on political exile.

Does El Super include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of characters navigating physical, neurodivergent, or mental health disabilities within the narrative.

Present on Screen

Provides deep ethnic specificity by focusing on the unique political and cultural struggles of the Cuban diaspora.
Avoids simplistic immigrant clichés by exploring the complex psychological burdens of exile and displacement.
Centers the role of characters of color within a non-Anglo-Saxon framework.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or narratives that challenge the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.
Does not feature characters navigating physical, neurodivergent, or mental health disabilities.
The depiction of gender roles follows traditional domestic dynamics without exploring women's ability to drive the story.

Official Synopsis

February, 1978. Roberto and Aurelia are Cuban exiles living in New York City with their 17-year-old daughter. For ten years Roberto's been the super of an apartment building, firing up the boiler, repairing windows, and moving bags of garbage. He's homesick for Cuba, stuck in repetitive conversations about the Bay of Pigs, Castro, and life back home. After receiving some tragic news, Robert makes up his mind to quit the city and move to Miami.

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