Un Traductor
Description
Bringing to light a little-known piece of Cuban history, this moving and understated medical drama set in 1989 tells the story of a Russian teacher in Havana drafted to serve as a translator for children brought from Chernobyl for medical treatment. Though the professor at first resists the officially mandated transfer, the film beautifully delineates how a change of workplace causes a tectonic shift in one man’s emotional resources. Westworld‘s Rodrigo Santoro stars.
“Shot in Havana, with vivid contributions from production designers Zazu Myers and Juan Carlos Sánchez Lezcano, the film captures the distinctive time-capsule quality of an isolated country, where many aspects of the story’s 1989–90 setting bear the mark of earlier decades. 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, The Hollywood Reporter
Cuban-Canadian filmmaker Rodrigo Barriuso won a Best Canadian Film or Video award at the Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival for his short For Dorian (2012). Among his other projects are Jane Corkin: Establishing the Still Image, a documentary; and Discomfort, a video installation. He is currently developing a new film, From My Window.
In addition to making his directing debut with Un Traductor, Havana-born Sebastián Barriuso also produced the film. Among his other films as a producer are Vedado (2008) and La piscina (2012).
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/259399292Film Details
Language Spanish, Russian
Year 2018
Runtime 108
Country Canada/Cuba
Director Rodrigo Barriuso, Sebastián Barriuso
Producer Sebastián Barriuso, Lindsay Gossling
Writer Lindsay Gossling
Editor Michelle Szemberg
Cinematographer Miguel Littin-Menz
Music Bill Laurance
Cast Rodrigo Santoro, Maricel Álvarez, Yoandra Suárez