The Sugar Curtain (2006)

Synopsis
Documentarist Camila Guzmán Urzúa - the daughter of director Patricio Guzmán - came of age in Cuba during the 70s and 80s - a period not long after the 1959 Castro revolution. Historians often refer to this period as the country's 'Golden Years' - a phrase reflected by Urzúa's experience, for she, her family, and her friends indeed grew up in unbridled luxury and happiness. Now, in 2005 - fifteen years after emigrating off of the island - Urzúa returns to her native Cuban soil, camera in hand, to shoot the 'homecoming' documentary El Télon de Azucar (AKA The Sugar Curtain, 2006). The contrasts between Urzúa's recollections and the reality of contemporary Cuba form the bulk of the documentary, as images confront the director (and audience) of a country all but completely suffocated under the weight of impoverishment. As the film proceeds, Guzman sets about locating her childhood friends who still reside in Havana, and together, they convey a sense of patriotism, co-mingled, bittersweetly, with sadness at the country's decline. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide