The Spanish content creator Javi Mateos (@javicis88) recommended his followers to watch the documentary Patria y Vida and described it as “a love song to music, to the revolution of the people, to saying enough is enough.”
“Have you ever been to Cuba? Whether you have or not, you must watch the documentary directed by Beatriz Luengo 'Patria y Vida', as opposed to 'patria o muerte', which has been the slogan of the dictatorship since Fidel Castro began. This is called 'Patria y Vida' and it’s amazing; it truly is a heartfelt tribute to music, to the people's revolution, to saying enough is enough. It’s incredibly brave, honestly, it’s a must-see,” Mateos said in a video posted on TikTok.
The tiktoker explained that he watched the film on Movistar+ and was blown away: “It left me speechless, because, well, you know how things are in Cuba, they've been under a dictatorship for over 63 years, which I believe is the longest in human history according to what I saw in the documentary. And through a song called 'Patria y Vida' that turns around, I tell you, this very Castro-leaning phrase, well, from that song, the people rise up, it becomes the most massive demonstration in the history of Cuba. You really have to see it, I mean, um, it's beautiful and absolutely necessary.”
Mateos' video generated dozens of comments, mostly from Cubans who expressed gratitude for the visibility given to the situation on the island. "As a Cuban, I appreciate you speaking out and making the reality of Cuba today more visible. Thank you," wrote one user, while another stated, "We Cubans in Spain and around the world know how damaging that slogan of 'Homeland or Death' has been. Long live a free Cuba!!!!"
There were also recommendations to watch other productions such as Plantados and Plantadas, as well as inquiries about where to find the documentary, to which the creator himself replied: “On Movistar+.”
The documentary, which lasts 90 minutes, arrived in theaters in South Florida on July 11, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the protests on July 11 in Cuba. The screening marked a milestone in the fight against the regime's repression and in keeping the flame of change alive.
The film was directed by the Spanish artist Beatriz Luengo and produced by the Cuban rapper Yotuel Romero, co-author and co-performer of the homonymous song that won two Latin Grammys and became an anthem for the protests.
"This is a story of today and it is a film that has a call to action. People leave the cinema feeling what they can do," Luengo stated in remarks to the EFE agency.
Yotuel stated that his goal is for the film to mobilize not just Cubans, but citizens from all over the world: “I want to show the world that we have a brave people,” he said in an interview with Univisión. On social media, he added: “May this documentary be a candle lit in truth and freedom”.
The film includes testimonies from figures such as Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Camila Cabello, and Willy Chirino, and highlights the repression following the 11J, when more than 1,400 people were arrested, many of whom are still in prison. It also features artists like Maykel Osorbo and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who are imprisoned in Cuba.
In Cuba, the documentary has been censored, which for Luengo “means that we have done our job well.”
In the United States, it continues to be showing in theaters in Miami and Tampa.
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