BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB

You will find much to enjoy here. This documentary celebrates aged Cuban musicians and singers as they record in Havana and perform in Amsterdam and New York City. The sound is wonderful, and the musicians’ gifts—especially pianist Ruben Gonzalez’s—can make the film mesmerizing.

The film is less successful as filmmaking. Poor color in the Havana scenes and frequent cuts away from songs dilute the pleasure. Many interviews are simple biographies, and the love songs often lack the depth the filmmakers seem to see in them.

The larger concern is worldview. The movie includes positive references to Cuba’s socialist regime and presents one musician’s devotion to a “lucky” statue as false religion or superstition. Still, its strong pro-capitalist subtext offers a useful point of discussion. Watch it at home, where you can pause and talk through both the music and the ideas.

This documentary follows a group of aged Cuban musicians and singers who helped American popular musician Ry Cooder create a million-selling album. The film explores the title nightclub’s history, interviews the artists about their lives and music, and shows them recording in Havana before performing in Amsterdam and at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

Three stars means this is a fascinating, often mesmerizing documentary with clear weaknesses. Its sound is quite wonderful, and the musicians’ performances are frequently entertaining. Ruben Gonzalez’s piano playing is a particular highlight, especially when he plays for delighted young gymnasts in an old building turned into a gym.

The film’s direction keeps it from reaching four stars. The Havana scenes have poorly done color, and Wim Wenders cuts away from too many songs instead of allowing the audience to hear them in full. The interviews can become simple biographies, while many of the songs remain superficial love songs. It is an interesting and rewarding audio experience, but unevenly made.

The film celebrates the lives and musical gifts of some of Cuba’s greatest popular musical artists. It also suggests a romantic view of the essential goodness in most, if not all, human beings. That optimism is not examined deeply, especially when the musicians’ stories become mostly biographical and the songs focus on superficial romantic love.

The documentary includes positive references to Fidel Castro’s socialist regime, but it also contains a strong pro-capitalist subtext. The musicians’ admiration for New York City’s skyscrapers and culture contrasts with the squalor and decrepit environment shown in Havana. The renewed interest in their music was funded by capitalism, giving the film an implicit argument about the benefits of freedom and prosperity.

The movie includes moral elements and references to God, but it also presents pagan elements, false religion, and superstition. One musician seems to worship a “lucky” statue and an image on his cane that he calls “Lazarus.” The film’s celebration of hard work and the fruits of labor offers a more constructive theme, but its view of human goodness and religion remains incomplete.

Scripture warns against replacing God with created things: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

The music is wonderful, and the musicians’ gifts are worth hearing. But uneven direction and worldview concerns make this a better home discussion than a family theater trip. Choose WAIT FOR HOME, especially if you want time to talk through the film’s ideas. For other options, see.