Three Degrees of Revolution

Lucia is a slow and beautiful film in three parts examining Cuba’s history through the lives of three women, each called Lucia. Directed by Homberto Solás in 1968, it is a classic of Cuban cinema and a fascinating insight into the island’s own revolutionary myths.

The first Lucia lives in 1895 during the Cuban War of Independence. A rich old maid with little to do in a crumbling town, she falls for a handsome stranger. Her life is transformed and her loyalty tested as the old world disappears. The second Lucia (played by the stunning and adorable Eslinda Núñez) runs away from her bourgeois family to marry an idealistic revolutionary in 1933. The young couple must sacrifice everything for their principles. The third lives in the 1960s, after the Revolution, and is a peasant girl. Stuck in a controlling marriage, this section shows how much work there was still left to do to make ordinary people accept revolutionary ideals.

The fates of these three women from three different classes are decided by their menfolk, and they could be seen as simply passive agents in history and their own lives. However, they hold a determination and hope for the future in their hearts that is quite moving, if a little soviet. Lucia is an engrossing trawl through Cuba’s history with gentle propaganda amongst the human stories.

Lucia is available to buy on DVD now.

For a chance to win the DVD see Competitions/Offers