Movie · 1993 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 48m · R · Spanish
Curator score: 7.5/10 (14.6K ratings)
Savor the flavor.
Overview
In 1979 Cuba, flamboyant gay artist Diego attempts to seduce straitlaced David, an idealistic young communist, and fails dismally. But David conspires to be "friends" with Diego so he can monitor the artist's subversive life for the state. As Diego and David discuss politics, individuality and personal expression in Castro's Cuba, a genuine friendship develops between the two.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.5/10
IMDb: 7.4/10
Letterboxd: 3.83/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío
Production
Miramax, Tabasco Films, TeleMadrid, Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía, ICAIC
Cast
Jorge Perugorría, Vladimir Cruz, Mirta Ibarra, Francisco Gattorno, Joel Angelino, Marilyn Solaya, Andrés Cortina, Antonio Carmona, Ricardo Ávila, María Elena del Toro, Zolanda Oña, Diana Iris del Puerto
Curator Review
Verdict
A warm, witty, and politically charged chamber piece that uses a friendship story to probe censorship, sexuality, and ideological rigidity in revolutionary Cuba. It’s moving without feeling preachy, and its humor keeps the film human even as the stakes deepen.
Best for
Viewers who like character-driven political dramas
Fans of queer cinema with historical context
People who enjoy dialogue-heavy films and moral debate
Anyone interested in Cuban or Latin American cinema
Skip if
You want fast pacing or big plot twists
You prefer purely lighthearted comedies
You’re looking for a romance with conventional payoff
Subtitled, talk-heavy films aren’t your thing
Overview
Strawberry and Chocolate is one of the great examples of a film that turns a small social encounter into a larger argument about freedom, identity, and belonging. What begins as a wary, almost comic relationship between a gay artist and a young communist slowly becomes something more tender and complicated, with each man forcing the other to confront his assumptions.
Worth noting
The film’s real strength is its balance. It is funny, but never glib; political, but never abstract; emotionally direct, but not manipulative. The performances give the film a lived-in intimacy, and the Havana setting feels both specific and alive, shaped by surveillance, scarcity, and the pressure to conform.
Bottom line
It remains resonant because it understands that empathy is not the same as agreement, and that friendship can be a form of political education. By the end, the film has moved well beyond its premise into something quietly devastating and deeply humane.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Kely Lucena (5★) · 450 likes
-Ay David, qué bello eres. Tu único defecto es que no eres maricón.
-Nadie es perfecto.
Sally Jane Black · 383 likes
The revolution never stops.
With only enough funding for one film, the Cuban filmmakers chose to make this. In the wake of the AIDS epidemic (which Cuba handled more compassionately and safely than any other country), in the wake of their own difficult history fighting the legacy of chauvinism left to them by their colonial predecessors, the revolutionary Cuban government chose to back this film, an open exploration of what it meant to be gay at this time, in this… more
nicole (3.5★) · 197 likes
commie bestie and literature gay bestie
Stacey B (2.5★) · 166 likes
Fellas, is it gay to eat strawberry ice cream when chocolate is available?
bailey (4★) · 123 likes
of course the american poster would try and market this as some kind of "breezy" romcom. in reality, it's a nuanced look at life in havana circa 1979, wherein a young militant communist befriends a gay artist who feels the revolution has left him behind. on the surface this may sound like a lame "guy befriends minority and realizes they're people too" type thing, but it's much more complex than that. there was indeed entrenched homophobia in revolutionary cuba for… more of course the american poster would try and market this as some kind of "breezy" romcom. in reality, it's a nuanced look at life in havana circa 1979, wherein a young militant communist befriends a gay artist who feels the revolution has left him behind. on the surface this may sound like a lame "guy befriends minority and realizes they're people too" type thing, but it's much more complex than that. there was indeed entrenched homophobia in revolutionary cuba for… more