Review of Rap is War @ VIFF2013: "I’ve been to Cuba, toured right around the island and saw little of what this documentary dares to reveal. Jesse Acevedo, an American born in Mexico, went to make a film about a rumba dance competition and turned instead to an underground music scene that claims to be part of a new revolution. The film is about a pair of rappers called Los Aldeanos who sing about injustice, repression and poverty. Their music is banned from radio but their unauthorized, secretly-promoted concerts draw thousands. The film has generous excerpts plus views of pumped up fans enjoying the message. “We’re writing a new chapter in Cuban history” the band says. Of course they’re playing to kids who weren’t there for the Castro revolution and wear Tupak Shakur T-shirts appropriate other American styles. The film illustrates the difficulties in keeping a revolution going but doesn’t give much context to really evaluate what’s going on. It does takes us into the homes of the poor (official tours don’t get close) and introduces a mother whose sons were tossed in jail just for listening to the group’s music."
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 19:41:54 +0000
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