National Gallery of Art Film Series: A Cuba Compendium - April 13 - 27

This anthology of new and old cinematic interpretations includes a compelling variety of ideas, approaches, styles, and understandings concerning the great Caribbean landmass just off the southern coast of the United States. Inspiring everything from an exuberant love letter to a fictional foray to an essayistic tract, the enigmatic island nation of Cuba continues to fascinate artistic sensibilities both within and beyond its borders.

Rodrigo and Sebastián Barriuso in person

Set in Havana in the late 1980s, The Translator’s central character, a professor of Russian literature teaching in Havana, is assigned, out of the blue, to work in a hospital as translator for a group of young radiation victims from Chernobyl. His new role not only complicates his emotional life, it also destabilizes his relationships with friends and family. Mixing documentary elements with a fictional tale, The Translator (Un Traductor) catches a critical historical moment when Cuba’s economy was failing, unemployment was rife, and the country’s citizens were beginning to feel more insulated than ever. “The Barriusos’ film addresses a specific set of events, but as it unfolds at the intersection of socialist ideals, economic realities, and personal ambitions, it’s a timeless portrait of what it means to be a cog in the wheel of a single-party regime” – Sheri Linden. (Rodrigo Barriuso and Sebastián Barriuso, 2018, subtitles, 107 minutes)