Thunderous applause for El acompañante and Bailando con Margot

Located at one of the most popular corners in Havana, 23 and L, and 23 and 12, the cinemas in these areas serve as key indicators of Cuban public taste, especially during the Festival.

Judging by the large crowd gathered in both theaters, the final applause, and the audience's exclamations throughout the screenings, the Cuban films El acompañante and Bailando con Margot are among the standout successes of this 37th edition of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. Therefore, both titles are at least contenders in the race for the popularity award.

The success of El acompañante, directed by Pavel Giroud, and Bailando con Margot, the debut film of Arturo Santana, confirms the Cuban audience's preference for their cinema, at a time when the audiovisual package predominates, bringing trendy films and television series from various countries into homes.

Amid this avalanche, which is further amplified by the vast number of foreign films scheduled on national television, Cuban cinema, produced by the Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematographic Industry or by independent producers, continues to win the favor of audiences thanks to its unwavering commitment to reflecting on the past and present of the nation.

The Companion is set in the 1980s and tells the story of a well-known boxer who, after being sanctioned for doping, is given a chance for social redemption by working at Los Cocos, the sanatorium established by Cuban authorities to house HIV-positive individuals in the country. The boxer is tasked with accompanying the most troubled patient at the sanatorium, an internationalist who contracted the virus in Africa. He wants to spend his last days in freedom and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that.

"Getting to Know Margot" tells a story that spans four decades: the 1910s, the 1920s, the 1930s, and the 1950s. The narrative revolves around a detective investigating the theft of a painting by Romañach in 1958 from the home of an elegant widow in Havana. The clues this detective uncovers lead him to explore the past, revealing who the widow was, her background, who her husband was, and how she ended up where she is now. As these details unfold, the investigation into the painting's theft also develops.

While El acompañante blends retro and historical cinema with sports and prison films, Bailando con Margot opts for elements of melodrama, musical cinema, sports, detective stories, and gangster films. Perhaps the revival of traditional genres is the key to the tremendous success of both films.