The Best Movies From/About Cuba
by yankeesfanforever-615-262385 | created - 08 Mar 2013 | updated - 20 Mar 2016 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Twelve Chairs (1962)
94 min | Comedy
When her country is taken over by socialist revolutionaries, a wealthy woman can't bear to give up all of her wealth and possessions to the new government, so she hides her jewels in one of... See full summary »
Director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea | Stars: Enrique Santisteban, Reynaldo Miravalles, René Sánchez, Pilín Vallejo
Votes: 314
2. Death of a Bureaucrat (1966)
Unrated | 85 min | Comedy
A young man attempts to fight the system in an entertaining account of bureaucracy amok and the tyranny of red tape.
Director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea | Stars: Salvador Wood, Silvia Planas, Manuel Estanillo, Gaspar De Santelices
Votes: 1,462
3. The Last Supper (1976)
120 min | Drama, History
A pious plantation owner attempts to teach Christianity to 12 of his slaves by inviting them to participate in a reenactment of the Last Supper.
Director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea | Stars: Nelson Villagra, Silvano Rey, Luis Alberto García, José Antonio Rodríguez
Votes: 690
4. Retrato de Teresa (1979)
103 min | Drama
Teresa is overwhelmed: with a husband, three young sons, a job as a crew leader in a textile factory, and volunteer commitments as cultural leader of her union. Her husband, Ramón, wants ... See full summary »
Director: Pastor Vega | Stars: Idalia Anreus, Miguel Benavides, Samuel Claxton, Elsa Gay
Votes: 158
5. Vampires in Havana (1985)
Not Rated | 80 min | Animation, Comedy, Horror
A vampire family from Cuba is preparing for a showdown between the USA vampires and the Eastern European vampires. But with the aid of a scientist, they need a type of vaccination where they can live in daylight.
Director: Juan Padrón | Stars: Frank González, Manuel Marín, Irela Bravo, Carlos Gonzalez
Votes: 1,463
6. Hasta cierto punto (1983)
68 min | Drama
A theater director and script-writer falls for a female worker from the Havana docks, but his machismo, social and working conflicts, and the Cuban woman's condition interfere with their relationship.
Director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea | Stars: Óscar Álvarez, Mirta Ibarra, Omar Valdés, Coralia Veloz
Votes: 137
7. Clandestinos (1987)
98 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Before the military coup in Cuba, a group of people have a clandestine printing press, used to print subversive pamphlets against the government.
Director: Fernando Pérez | Stars: Luis Alberto García, Isabel Santos, René Losada, Amado Del Pino
Votes: 116
8. Strawberry & Chocolate (1993)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Story of two men who are opposites: one gay, the other straight; one a fierce communist, the other a fierce individualist; one suspicious, the other accepting; and how they come to love each other.
Directors: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío | Stars: Jorge Perugorría, Vladimir Cruz, Mirta Ibarra, Francisco Gattorno
Votes: 6,022 | Gross: $2.08M
9. Guantanamera (1995)
TV-14 | 105 min | Comedy, Drama
It is a satire about life in Cuba. The members of a funeral procession and some truck drivers who need to take the same route begin to talk about God and the world and they end up ... See full summary »
Directors: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío | Stars: Carlos Cruz, Mirta Ibarra, Jorge Perugorría, Raúl Eguren
Votes: 1,561 | Gross: $0.75M
10. Life Is to Whistle (1998)
106 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Three characters in present-day Havana must choose between clinging to their self-restricting beliefs, or getting rid of them to live more freely. Ballerina Mariana has promised God ... See full summary »
Director: Fernando Pérez | Stars: Luis Alberto García, Coralia Veloz, Claudia Rojas, Ana Victoria Pérez
Votes: 706 | Gross: $0.06M
11. The Waiting List (2000)
105 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A desperate group of people wait at a rundown Cuban transit station for the next bus to arrive. The problem is, it never shows up. While a number of busses pass by the station, and others ... See full summary »
Director: Juan Carlos Tabío | Stars: Vladimir Cruz, Tahimi Alvariño, Jorge Perugorría, Noel García
Votes: 1,255
12. Suite Habana (2003)
80 min | Documentary
Dawn breaks in La Habana, and as the day advances we follow the simple lives of ten ordinary Cubans, with only sounds and images accompanied by music.
Director: Fernando Pérez | Stars: Francisquito Cardet, Francisco Cardet, Norma Pérez, Waldo Morales
Votes: 619
13. Habana Blues (2005)
115 min | Drama, Music
Two Cuban friends play in a blues band in La Habana. When a Spanish music producer offers them a contract to record an album and build a career in Europe, they must decide whether to stay ... See full summary »
Director: Benito Zambrano | Stars: Alberto Yoel, Roberto San Martín, Yailene Sierra, Mayra Rodríguez
Votes: 2,607
14. Memories of Underdevelopment (1968)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama
A Cuban man cycles through his opinions and memories as the threat of foreign invasion intensifies and the rest of his family moves to Miami.
Director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea | Stars: Sergio Corrieri, Daisy Granados, Eslinda Núñez, Omar Valdés
Votes: 4,778 | Gross: $0.03M
15. Un rey en La Habana (2005)
Not Rated | 102 min | Comedy
Mr. Arturo, an old rich Spanishman who arrives to Havana to marry Yoli, dies suddenly in bed. Yoli's family, afraid of losing all the money, convinces her ex-boyfriend Papito to go to Spain... See full summary »
Director: Alexis Valdés | Stars: María Isabel Díaz Lago, Carmen Machi, José Alias, Manuel Manquiña
Votes: 299
16. Un paraíso bajo las estrellas (2000)
90 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Like her mother before her, beautiful Sissy wants to be a dancer at the Tropicana, Havana's famous cabaret. But her truck driving father, Candido, forbids her to do so because of his ... See full summary »
Director: Gerardo Chijona | Stars: Thais Valdés, Vladimir Cruz, Daisy Granados, Enrique Molina
Votes: 169
17. Bitter Sugar (1996)
75 min | Drama, Romance
Gustavo is a young Havana Communist who believes in the revolution; he hopes for a scholarship to study aeronautical engineering in Prague. But his faith in the new Cuba is tested: his ... See full summary »
Director: Leon Ichaso | Stars: René Lavan, Mayte Vilán, Miguel Gutiérrez, Larry Villanueva
Votes: 646 | Gross: $0.39M
18. Cecilia (1982)
127 min | Drama
Cecilia, a Cuban girl of mixed race in violent 19th-century Cuba, is raised by her mother and grandmother as a courtesan. Soon, pale-skinned Cecilia catches the eye of the estate owner's ... See full summary »
Director: Humberto Solás | Stars: Daisy Granados, Imanol Arias, Miguel Benavides, Raquel Revuelta
Votes: 155
19. I Am Cuba (1964)
Not Rated | 141 min | Drama
Four vignettes about the lives of the Cuban people set during the pre-revolutionary era.
Director: Mikhail Kalatozov | Stars: Sergio Corrieri, Salvador Wood, José Gallardo, Raúl García
Votes: 10,677
20. Juan of the Dead (2011)
Not Rated | 92 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
A group of slackers face an army of zombies. The Cuban government and media claim the living dead are dissidents revolting against the government.
Director: Alejandro Brugués | Stars: Alexis Díaz de Villegas, Jorge Molina, Andros Perugorría, Andrea Duro
Votes: 10,996 | Gross: $0.02M
21. The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin (1967)
112 min | Comedy
The metamorphoses of Juan Quin Quin, in turns bullfighter, guerrilla fighter and sacristan.
Director: Julio García Espinosa | Stars: Julito Martinez, Erdwin Fernández, Adelaida Raymat, Enrique Santisteban
Votes: 119
22. Alice in Wondertown (1991)
90 min | Comedy
A satire about the life of the Cuban people. Alicia, a culture instructor, is sent to a small town "Maravillas", which is itself an exaggerated, but very ingenious reflection of the real ... See full summary »
Director: Daniel Díaz Torres | Stars: Thais Valdés, Vanessa Carballido, Carlos Cruz, Idalmis Del Risco
Votes: 140
23. Lucia (1968)
160 min | Drama
Traces episodes in the lives of three Cuban women, each named Lucía, from three different historical periods: the Cuban war of independence (with Spain), the 1930s, and the 1960s.
Director: Humberto Solás | Stars: Raquel Revuelta, Eslinda Núñez, Adela Legrá, Eduardo Moure
Votes: 1,184
24. Personal Belongings (2006)
95 min | Drama
Young Doctor Ana lives alone because she couldn't bear to leave Cuba when her family sailed away on a raft to the US. Ernesto lives in his car with his belongings in a small case, traveling... See full summary »
Director: Alejandro Brugués | Stars: Caleb Casas, Heidi García, Osvaldo Doimeadiós, Rubén Breñas
Votes: 105
25. Nada (2001)
90 min | Comedy, Romance
In Havana, a post office branch is more than a place of bureaucratic rules and regulations to ensure effective public services. This is where Carla Perez works. A young dreamer, this ... See full summary »
Director: Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti | Stars: Thais Valdés, Nacho Lugo, Daisy Granados, Paula Ali
Votes: 358
26. Love by Mistake (2004)
94 min | Drama
Six Cuban intellectuals begin a game of musical beds.
Director: Gerardo Chijona | Stars: Luis Alberto García, Sancho Gracia, Susana Pérez, Monica Alonso Solares
Votes: 85
27. Madrigal (2007)
112 min | Sci-Fi
"Not everything is what it seems". This is the motto of Fernando Pérez's Madrigal, an esoteric fable built, in the first part, around a handsome actor's love story with an overweight and ... See full summary »
Director: Fernando Pérez | Stars: Carlos Enrique Almirante, Liety Chaviano, Ana de Armas, Luis Alberto García
Votes: 163
28. A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings (1988)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Fantasy
Director: Fernando Birri | Stars: Daisy Granados, Asdrúbal Meléndez, Luis Alberto Ramírez, Adolfo Llauradó
Votes: 128
29. Barrio Cuba (2005)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama
Over several years, we follow three households and their emotions in a barrio of Havana. Magalis is a nurse, rarely happy. An older man, Ignacio, professes his love for her; her father and ... See full summary »
Director: Humberto Solás | Stars: Jorge Perugorría, Isabel Santos, Mario Limonta, Adela Legrá
Votes: 159
30. Things I Left in Havana (1997)
110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Tres hermanas cubanas llegan a madrid en busca de una situación mejor. En Madrid encuentran a una tía que emigró mucho antes y a oytro cubano que intenta seducirlas y...explotarlas.
Director: Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón | Stars: Jorge Perugorría, Violeta Rodríguez, Kiti Mánver, Broselianda Hernández
Votes: 230
31. Hormigas en la boca (2005)
Not Rated | 92 min | Drama
Hormigas en la Boca follows Martin from a 10 year stint in a Spanish prison for robbery to pre-Castro Cuba to recover the loot from his ex-girlfriend. While their he runs afoul of Navarro, ... See full summary »
Director: Mariano Barroso | Stars: Eduard Fernández, Ariadna Gil, Jorge Perugorría, José Luis Gómez
Votes: 276
32. 7 Days in Havana (2011)
129 min | Drama
A lesbian, an aspiring actor, an aspiring singer, a low-class marriage, a neighborhood community and 2 renowned directors have memorable less-than-24-hour-long experiences while living in/visiting the capital of Cuba.
Directors: Laurent Cantet, Benicio Del Toro, Julio Medem, Gaspar Noé, Elia Suleiman, Juan Carlos Tabío, Pablo Trapero | Stars: Josh Hutcherson, Vladimir Cruz, Magali Wilson, Daisy Granados
Votes: 4,278
33. Boleto al paraíso (2010)
88 min | Drama
Eunice is a teenage girl who is running away from her father's sexual harassment. Alejandro is a young rocker who breaks into a drugstore and escapes to Havana with a couple of friends. ... See full summary »
Director: Gerardo Chijona | Stars: Miriel Cejas, Héctor Medina, Blanca Rosa Blanco, Laura De la Uz
Votes: 95
34. Hello Hemingway (1990)
90 min | Drama
A young girl's academic asperation conflict with her family's struggle against poverty. Both these aspects are made all the more potent by the clear view they have of Ernest Hemingway's mansion in their home town just outside Havana.
Director: Fernando Pérez | Stars: Laura De la Uz, Raúl Paz, Herminia Sánchez, Caridad Hernandez
Votes: 99
35. A Successful Man (1986)
116 min | Drama
Javier Argüelles, an opportunistic young man from Cuban middle class, survives all kind of political changes in Havana, from 1932 to 1959, while his brother Darío is persecuted and killed because of his leftist ideas.
Director: Humberto Solás | Stars: César Évora, Raquel Revuelta, Daisy Granados, Jorge Trinchet
Votes: 96
36. Amor crónico (2012)
80 min | Comedy
The flamboyant Cuban-born / New York based singer CuCu Diamantes on her tour around Cuba. It is an independent Cuban/ U.S. project produced by Sarah Green ("The Tree of Life", "Frida") and ... See full summary »
Director: Jorge Perugorría | Stars: Cucu Diamantes, Andrés Levin, Liosky Clavero, Adela Legrá
Votes: 24
37. Maluala (1979)
84 min | Biography, Drama, History
During the late 1800s in Cuba, runaway African slaves hide in mountainous settlements after overpowering their Spanish masters. Discord soon follows: traitors are in their midst, secretly working for the Spanish.
Director: Sergio Giral | Stars: Samuel Claxton, Miguel Navarro, Roberto Blanco, Miguel Gutiérrez
Votes: 39
38. Amada (1983)
105 min | Drama
In 1914, during World Ward I, Amada, a bourgeois wife, falls in love with her cousin Marcial, a young idealist who is fighting against the Cuban regime in power.
Directors: Nelson Rodríguez, Humberto Solás | Stars: Eslinda Núñez, César Évora, Silvia Planas, Andrés Hernández
Votes: 37
39. Who the Hell Is Juliette? (1997)
91 min | Documentary, Music
Cinematographer Carlos Macovich met Yuliet Ortega, a young "jinetera" (prostitute) from Havana, when he shot a video in Cuba, starring model Fabiola Quiroz. When he realized that the two ... See full summary »
Director: Carlos Marcovich | Stars: Yuliet Ortega, Fabiola Quiroz, Jorge Quiroz, Victor Ortega
Votes: 588
40. Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
G | 105 min | Documentary, Music
Aging Cuban musicians whose talents had been virtually forgotten following Castro's takeover of Cuba, are brought out of retirement by Ry Cooder, who travelled to Havana in order to bring the musicians together, resulting in triumphant performances of extraordinary music, and resurrecting the musicians' careers.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, Octavio Calderon
Votes: 20,552 | Gross: $7.00M
41. Red Cockroaches (2003)
Unrated | 82 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
First of a Trilogy: In a New York ravaged with acid rains, a man in his twenties meets a mysterious, yet familiar young woman who disrupts the banality of his day-to-day existence. Together, they will embark on a surreal journey with a devastating climax.
Director: Miguel Coyula | Stars: Adam Plotch, Talia Rubel, Diane Spodarek, Jeff Pucillo
Votes: 306
42. Salsa and Love (1999)
TV-PG | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
At age 24, Rémi Bonnet, brilliant pianist, abandons Chopin and Toulouse to play the music he has secretly loved for years - Salsa! He heads for Paris, the salsa capital of Europe, only to ... See full summary »
Director: Joyce Buñuel | Stars: Christianne Gout, Vincent Lecoeur, Catherine Samie, Michel Aumont
Votes: 669
43. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
PG-13 | 86 min | Drama, Music, Romance
High school senior Katey moves to Havana in November 1958, when her dad gets a promotion at Ford. She meets a local waiter, who introduces her to sensual Cuban music/dance. They enter a big dance contest for the prize when he gets fired.
Director: Guy Ferland | Stars: Diego Luna, Romola Garai, Sela Ward, John Slattery
Votes: 29,515 | Gross: $14.16M
44. Week-End in Havana (1941)
Passed | 81 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Nan Spencer is on a boat bound for Havana which runs aground. The man sent to rescue her is engaged and she doesn't understand his disinterest. Monte Blanca is interested, to the annoyance of his girlfriend.
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, John Payne, Cesar Romero
Votes: 734
45. Original Sin (2001)
R | 116 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A woman, along with her lover, plans to con a rich man by marrying him, earning his trust, and then running away with all his money. Everything goes as planned until she falls in love with him.
Director: Michael Cristofer | Stars: Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie, Thomas Jane, Jack Thompson
Votes: 59,818 | Gross: $16.25M
46. Chico & Rita (2010)
Not Rated | 94 min | Animation, Crime, Drama
Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey - in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero - brings heartache and torment.
Directors: Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba | Stars: Eman Xor Oña, Limara Meneses, Mario Guerra, Jon Adams
Votes: 9,692 | Gross: $0.35M
47. Havana (I) (1990)
R | 144 min | Drama, Romance, War
In 1950s Cuba, a professional gambler falls for a woman heavily involved in the revolution movement.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Robert Redford, Lena Olin, Alan Arkin, Tomas Milian
Votes: 8,523 | Gross: $9.24M
48. The Lost City (2005)
R | 144 min | Drama, Romance
A wealthy Havana club owner and his family are torn apart by the violent sociopolitical upheaval brought about by the transition from the dictatorial regime of Batista to the Marxist revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1950s Cuba.
Director: Andy Garcia | Stars: Andy Garcia, Inés Sastre, Bill Murray, Alfredo Armenteros
Votes: 9,923 | Gross: $2.48M
49. Man of Two Havanas (2007)
93 min | Documentary
Okay, here's the situation. I was born in Havana. That makes me Cuban. But, I was raised in little Havana, which makes me Cuban-American. However, since I don't see Castro as the root of ... See full summary »
Director: Vivien Lesnik Weisman | Stars: Peter Kornbluh, Max Lesnick, Miriam Lesnik, Vivien Lesnik Weisman
Votes: 41
50. Sons of Cuba (2009)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary
The Havana Boxing Academy is a Cuban boarding school that takes 9-year-old boys, and turns them into the best boxers in the world.
Director: Andrew Lang | Stars: Yosvani Bonachea, Cristian Martinez, Santos Urguelles
Votes: 132
51. Before Night Falls (2000)
R | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The life of Cuban poet and novelist, Reinaldo Arenas.
Director: Julian Schnabel | Stars: Javier Bardem, Johnny Depp, Olatz López Garmendia, Giovani Florido
Votes: 26,386 | Gross: $4.22M
52. Guys and Dolls (1955)
Not Rated | 150 min | Comedy, Crime, Musical
In New York, a gambler is challenged to take a cold female missionary to Havana, but they fall for each other, and the bet has a hidden motive to finance a crap game.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine
Votes: 19,382 | Gross: $13.00M
53. The Mambo Kings (1992)
R | 104 min | Drama, Music
Two Cuban brothers bring a new music to the 1950s USA. They are as different as the problems that await them.
Director: Arne Glimcher | Stars: Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas, Pablo Calogero, Scott Cohen
Votes: 5,960 | Gross: $6.74M
54. La faute à Fidel! (2006)
Unrated | 99 min | Drama
A 9-year-old girl weathers big changes in her household as her parents become radical political activists in 1970-71 Paris.
Director: Julie Gavras | Stars: Nina Kervel-Bey, Julie Depardieu, Stefano Accorsi, Benjamin Feuillet
Votes: 5,209 | Gross: $0.17M
55. Che: Part One (2008)
Not Rated | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1956, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara and a band of Castro-led Cuban exiles mobilize an army to topple the regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Julia Ormond, Benicio Del Toro, Oscar Isaac, Pablo Guevara
Votes: 47,968 | Gross: $1.80M
56. Viva Cuba (2005)
Not Rated | 92 min | Comedy, Drama
In a tale akin to Romeo and Juliet, the friendship between two children is threatened by their parents' differences. Malu is from an upper-class family and her single mother does not want ... See full summary »
Directors: Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti, Iraida Malberti Cabrera | Stars: Malú Tarrau Broche, Jorge Milo, Luisa María Jiménez Rodríquez, Larisa Vega Alamar
Votes: 1,094
57. Fidel (2002 TV Movie)
206 min | Biography, Drama
Fidel Castro rises to power in Cuba.
Director: David Attwood | Stars: Víctor Huggo Martin, Gael García Bernal, Patricia Velasquez, Cecilia Suárez
Votes: 1,274
58. Che: Part Two (2008)
Not Rated | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1967, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara leads a small partisan army to fight an ill-fated revolutionary guerrilla war in Bolivia, South America.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Demián Bichir, Rodrigo Santoro, Benicio Del Toro, Catalina Sandino Moreno
Votes: 35,060
59. Barrio Cuba (2005)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama
Over several years, we follow three households and their emotions in a barrio of Havana. Magalis is a nurse, rarely happy. An older man, Ignacio, professes his love for her; her father and ... See full summary »
Director: Humberto Solás | Stars: Jorge Perugorría, Isabel Santos, Mario Limonta, Adela Legrá
Votes: 159
60. Behavior (2014)
108 min | Drama
Aging teacher Carmela has a special heart for pupils from broken homes and is challenged by the headmaster to follow up 12 year old Chala which is infatuated in Yeni. They are both poor, and has severe home troubles.
Director: Ernesto Daranas | Stars: Alina Rodríguez, Yuliet Cruz, Armando Miguel Gómez, Miriel Cejas
Votes: 1,609
61. La bella del Alhambra (1989)
108 min | Musical, Drama
Story shows the genesis of the career and the rise of Esther the most beloved actress of most popular theater in Havana at the turn of the 19th century.
Director: Enrique Pineda Barnet | Stars: Beatriz Valdés, Omar Valdés, César Évora, Carlos Cruz
Votes: 114
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