One Way or Another (1974, Sara Gómez)

A didactic sociodrama about a schoolteacher who falls in love with a bus factory worker. Their romance unfolds in the midst of the destruction of the old establishment as it transitions into the new order of Revolution. An intriguing and at times confusing blur between the imaginary and documentary, the film places an invented love story amongst the destruction of Havana slums, interviews about the poverty under the Batista regime, worrisome parentteacher conferences, the very real smile of a woman shyly in love being serenaded, and other realities of a nation in transition, invoking the cognitive dissonance that one can imagine occurs in a society changing its philosophy. In a perfect segment, the film explores the history of a secret society and connects its ancient code to male chauvinism in Cuban society, depicting their initiation rites and a drumming ceremony, fulfilling my fundamental belief that every great film needs the drums.