So much average

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Una Noche was a very interesting film since it was depicting a true story showing the lives of two young Cuban adults trying to go through the process of illegally leaving the country to enter America. They had many troubles along the way with gathering stuff for the long 90 mile journey to the southern coast of Florida because the way they were obtaining all of their materials was by stealing everything. I thought it was really cool how everyone that could tell that they were planning on leaving didn't care about them trying to leave. Like reporting them to the police so they would get arrested. As soon as the engine on the raft didn't start up I would've turned around and headed back home because it's not really possible to travel 90 miles by paddling. Also when the GPS didn't turn on I would've headed home because it's not possible to paddle in a straight line out at sea with no land references. I would recommend this movie to someone else.

The film starts out with Elio, the brother of the narrator Lila, helping teach her to swim. Next, the director shows the close relationship between the two as they ride through the streets of Havana together on a bike. They seem inseparable, and Lila feels like they are inseparable. Then, Elio meets Raul who it seems that Elio takes a liking to. From that point on, Elio and Raul work in a kitchen of a hotel while preparing to migrate across the ocean 93 miles to Miami. Raul believes his dad is living there and that if they go they will have a better life. I don't think Elio has bought into the "American Dream" but it appears he will do anything for Raul. Raul dreams of driving a fast car and reuniting with is dad. The trip over seas is expedited when Raul is accused of seriously injuring a tourist. Elio drops everything and starts stealing materials to put together a raft. Lila also wants to tag along on the journey because she would do anything for Elio. They attempt to cross the ocean to Miami but don't succeed. Also, in the process Elio seems to be killed by a shark while saving his sister. They end up circling back around to Cuba. The film shows how people have hope for a better life in America but the struggle to get there is great

I absolutely loved everything about this film! The characters all had so much depth and complexity, the story line kept you wondering what was going to happen, and the film shots were all very interesting. I have been to Havana, Cuba myself so it was cool to see the story play out there. I think that the director did an amazing job of portraying the hardships and tough decisions that the people of Cuba have to make every day in order to survive. My favorite characters were Lila and Raul. Lila was so much tougher than she seemed in the end, and I felt that she had a lot of respect for herself and for other women despite the fact that she was bullied. I was fascinated by Raul's character and how he developed from a pretty selfish boy to a caring man in a short amount of time. While I loved this movie, there were definitely some scenes that I was not used to seeing at all like the various sex scenes. In American films, sex scenes tend to be more for viewers, and they are much more romanticized; however, in this film the sex scenes were all essential to the plot and none of them were very romantic. Overall, I love this movie and would give it 5/5 stars.

It is a country that lies only 90 miles outside of U.S. borders but decades of political discord have kept the story of Cuba from American eyes. 'Una Noche' the feature film debut of British director Lucy Mulloy, tells the story of three brave, and daring teens who venture to cross the treacherous ocean and prevail against a fate of poverty and injustice.The cinematography is stirring and captivating. The performances are natural and engaging. Mulloy is a brilliant director who presents a seamless motion picture, tenderly and candidly. The harsh and bleak trappings of scarcity as well as the joy of family and friends play as the background to a cleverly written love triangle. Adrenaline fuels the urgency of the characters' desperation. As a viewer you feel as though your passport has been stamped. You've received an all expense paid trip to the pain and the paradise of the communist island nation.It is a film like no other. You hold your breath and pray for the shore line to be merciful --- and edge closer.