The Uncompromising Revolution

The Uncompromising Revolution is a film about the Cuban Revolution and Fidel Castro at middle age - at a stage where he is attempting to steer the revolution back onto its idealistic course and away from materialism. The film moves in and out of countryside and city, with Fidel quietly reflecting on the past, then loudly proclaiming his faith in communism and "the new man", modelled after Che Guevara. It explores Cuba's role in Central America, Cuban-Soviet relations, and human rights. The audience goes on a trip through a prison, a genetic engineering laboratory and a nuclear power plant, due to be started up in 1990. The film also examines the revolution historically, beginning with a 102-year-old woman recalling the War of Independence in 1898. A middle-aged black man compares his pre-revolutionary life as a property owner with his post-revolutionary existence as a wage earner. What emerges is a fast-moving political document, a nuanced, multi-faceted portrait of Fidel and the revolution he continues to shape. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)