Musica o Muerte, Destined to Freedom
The main character of the film is Gorki, ageing Cuban rocker and frontman of the famous underground punk band Porno Para Ricardo. Gorki has fought against the communist regime in his homeland for past 20 years. We meet him when his resistance and protest are replaced by weariness and disappointment. Many have already given up their fight against the system - most of Gorki’s friends fled the country, including the members of Porno Para Ricardo - Ciro lives in Canada, Lia exiled to Florida and the last hit was emigration of PPR’s drummer of 20 years, Renay - a betrayal in Gorki’s eyes. Gorki is one of the last soldiers’ standing, but the anger and sadness are slowly eroding his sense hope and stamina.
In Cuba, the ubiquitous slogan of the revolution, Patria o Muerte, 'Fatherland or Death', is in fact a symbol of the lives of three generations wasted in the dictatorship. But Gorki never wanted to admit the possibility of escaping the Cuban reality. Gorki has been invited to play in a music club in Prague next year, and a possibility came up to exhibit his activist art in a Berlin gallery. Now, with the upcoming trip to Europe, Gorki begins to flirt with leaving himself. He is about to meet his friends, who emigrated to EU recently - but both Renay in Prague and Rolando in Berlin are lost and somewhat desperate, without a sense of purpose after losing the common enemy. Is this the right moment to leave everything behind? Gorki’s love-hate relationship with his wife Vivian is based on loyalty, as is his friendship with fellow activist Antonio and Claudio - and leaving Cuba would mean leaving behind his woman and co-fighters).
We follow Gorki when he hesitantly and perhaps subconsciously says goodbye to his homeland, the film describes the nature of Gorki’s anti-regime activities, the poverty in which people live, and the constant bullying and surveillance the activists are subjected to. Gorki is about to make a decision of a lifetime.
In Cuba, the ubiquitous slogan of the revolution, Patria o Muerte, 'Fatherland or Death', is in fact a symbol of the lives of three generations wasted in the dictatorship. But Gorki never wanted to admit the possibility of escaping the Cuban reality. Gorki has been invited to play in a music club in Prague next year, and a possibility came up to exhibit his activist art in a Berlin gallery. Now, with the upcoming trip to Europe, Gorki begins to flirt with leaving himself. He is about to meet his friends, who emigrated to EU recently - but both Renay in Prague and Rolando in Berlin are lost and somewhat desperate, without a sense of purpose after losing the common enemy. Is this the right moment to leave everything behind? Gorki’s love-hate relationship with his wife Vivian is based on loyalty, as is his friendship with fellow activist Antonio and Claudio - and leaving Cuba would mean leaving behind his woman and co-fighters).
We follow Gorki when he hesitantly and perhaps subconsciously says goodbye to his homeland, the film describes the nature of Gorki’s anti-regime activities, the poverty in which people live, and the constant bullying and surveillance the activists are subjected to. Gorki is about to make a decision of a lifetime.