Memories of Underdevelopment

In 1972, post-revolutionary films from Cuba were shown for the first time in New York. The reviewer of The New York Times expected to be treated to realistic, especially politically engaged films, but was pleasantly surprised by this film. Memories of Underdevelopment is, he wrote, "a profound, noble film... beautifully understated, sophisticated and cosmopolitan in style, fascinating in its subtlety and complexity." Director Tomás Gutiérrez Alea tells a story about memories just like people remember things: fragmented and non-linear. He was clearly inspired by the French nouvelle vague.

The year is 1961, Sergio's parents, his wife and his friends have left Cuba for Miami after the Bay of Pigs incident, but he has stayed: thirty-something, a well-off homeowner with writing aspirations. The fact that everyone has left does not bother him, and given his dislike of the old, decadent regime, he has no problems with the revolution either. He strikes up a love affair with a girl from a modest background.

Restored by the Cineteca di Bologna at L' Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in association with Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematograficos (ICAIC ). Restoration funded by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation and The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project.