The novel of discord

We Cubans tend to be extremists. Let's see it in black and white. ANDThe face of the days It is the latest target in this scenario lacking gray tones: we are simply not used to exercising criticism, much less accepting it. The recently concluded soap opera was seen more than the Brazilian one and whether that is due to the coronavirus or not, it is a point in its favor.

That the majority of the public empathizes with her does not make her perfect, but nothing justifiesthe disproportionate fury that has aroused in detractorsand defenders, as if questioning it were the same as risking one's life on a battlefield. For some and others, restraint has gone to their feet. Both sides are disrespectfully fighting over a novel! Let's remember: we Cubans lack nuances.

While the digital world and the cultural sections of the island's official press continue to debate between criticism, praise and memes, some of the protagonists ofThe face of the days They have been so upset that they haven't even found the words to talk about what has been happening. Others, however, remain indifferent; others, grateful.

As explained exclusively forCyberCuba the young actress Alicia Hechavarría, who played Niurka in the novel, “all of us who are part of the cast are infinitely grateful for the public's reception because it is something that did not happen a few years ago in Cuba, not to this magnitude at least. The expressions of affection from all generations have been profound. The novel made the entire family come together to see it and for that reason alone a goal has already been achieved.”

The daughter of actor Fernando Hechavarría assures that “criticism is necessary because thanks to it one grows and when I say one, I mean the entire team. But it is important to understand that the space of the novel is part of the entertainment. No matter how much research can be done on an important topic such as teenage motherhood or responsible parenthood, for example, which are topics that must be talked about because they strike a chord, because they are complicated and strong, because they reach a lot and mark a person, the novel is fiction.

“You have to take that into account when making a critique, it is not a documentary, it is not an investigative work. The novel could have had 20,000 other endings, but it would be another story, another script, and another novel. Furthermore, criticism must be constructive in the sense that there are virtues and defects, there must be a balance that is achieved with compelling reasons. “This way the criticism reaches people more,” highlights the also graduate in Psychology.

According to what the singer states on her Facebook wallCamila Daniela, a member of the novel's soundtrack, “for a long time we Cubans, around the world, were not so voluntarily united by something… Errors? Imperfections? Aspects that could be improved? Yes of course! We are human and even if we had enjoyed the beauty of photography that characterizes Sorrentino, or the overwhelming directing ability of Tarantino (to be extreme), someone was going to disagree with something in the soap opera, and that is not bad ALWAYS AND WHEN THERE IS NO DISRESPECT, and it seems to me that that is what is happening in some cases.”

According to the musician, the facts show that as a result of this soap opera "families will be more attentive to their minors, some women and men will make important decisions, some of us will choose and recognize new actors and actresses as 'favorites'."

At the same time, Camila Daniela wonders if the soap opera did not fulfill its main function: to entertain, to make us laugh and cry, to reflect. On the other hand, the renowned actress Luisa María Jiménez considers that it was a novel “with very positive things and other negative things. It has some deficiencies in the production, in the editing, and I think there are comments against it that have been accurate, that have not been bad in their reflection.

There are criticisms from people who know, who are very focused, but there are others with whom I disagree.” For the 63-year-old artist, it is a production “that the public has adored. You never know what is going to happen with the work you do. I didn't think my character would be so widely accepted, but that's the wonderful thing about art, that its results never cease to amaze you. There are things that you think are great, and they are the ones that the public likes the least. The public is one thing and the criticism is another. There are characters who have come across very badly in the face of official criticism, but to whom people have responded in an incredible, extraordinary way.”

The soap opera, in his opinion, has magic because it touches on themes from the lives of ordinary people that "are magnificent: that of motherhood and family, of unwanted and longed-for children, of love for grandparents, of the difficulties of family coexistence.” However, he hopes that the mistakes he hadThe face of the days “Do not repeat yourself in the next novels because you have to learn from your mistakes and improve.”

Nohemí Cartaya herself, general director of the novel, has published that “the debate and confrontation of criteria made our work continue alive even after its final chapter. "We had already left the traditional environment of the screen to extend ourselves to social networks where we enjoy the privilege of having several thousand enthusiastic followers, both inside and outside of Cuba."

The director adds that she has rarely felt so fulfilled as an artist. “The face of the days has enjoyed the love of the public and the meticulous and detailed attention of the most expert specialists in audiovisual criticism. We had it all!!!” As reader María highlights on the newspaper's websiteGranma, “they have wanted to gut it (the novel) but they have gained the sincerity and love that they wanted to convey… We have been seeing very poor products in the Cuban telenovela space for decades and now that we feel more motivated, some are trying to do a necropsy on The Face "Of the days, there have been much worse and we have digested them as if they were caviar."

Zaida García comments on the forumCubadebate that “the controversy over The Face of Days will exist for a long time. Real things were missing in the life of human beings and (there were) other very superficial ones. At least it distracted us even more during the Covid confinement.” Likewise, Rafael indicates in the same place that he lives in Switzerland and was as sensitized by the novel as if he lived in Havana. “There were very good performances and others not so good, there were flaws in relation to the timeline that was sometimes lost in front of the public and many other defects.” However, he concludes, its balance is very positive and reflects progress in Cuban dramatizations.