I Am Cuba

More of a technical show-case and mood piece than any great statement on the plight of Cuba (despite some flagrant political dogmatism) – if you can go along with the dreamy, sometimes nightmarish narrative, there’s a lot of satisfaction to be had, especially basking in Kalatozov’s legendarily wonky and astonishing camera moves, though there comes a point when the indulgences in technique contribute too much to a bloated mid-section, letting the film slip into tedium from time to time. Otherwise an engaging and bracingly original work.