Cuba has long prided itself on a unique revolution. Here, all races were to be equal, resources shared and happiness measured by other standards than material wealth. To many Latin Americans Castro is indeed a legendary figure, the only one of their leaders to stand up to the United States. But, under its colourful and defiant surface, Cuba is in crisis. Havana is crumbling, most cars are left over from the 1950s and shop shelves are gaping bare. The average wage has fallen to $9 a month and the socialist safety net is in threads. Without dollars many Cubans go hungry and heavy jail terms are handed out to those who publicly criticise the state. "People shut up and suffer", one man says, as he shows us the rags that serve as mattresses in the room where he lives with his wife and children. As a last resort, the Cuban government is investing in tourism. After decades of anti-American propaganda, five star hotels are being built all over the island. Prostitution and "capitalist decadence" have returned. This film captures the charming but desperate nature of Cuba today.

Produced by Cheburashka Films