‘Viva’ brings Cuban drag queen’s quest to vivid life
Emotional and effective, “Viva” is a torch song melodrama set convincingly in Havana, even though it was written and directed by a pair of Irishmen. Nothing happens you won’t see coming, but it’s so deftly done, you’re OK with waiting for the inevitable to arrive.
Director Paddy Breathnach first experienced Havana’s world of drag performers as a tourist in the mid-1990s, and he and screenwriter Mark O’Halloran returned to put it on film.
“Viva’s” audience-friendly story follows a young man who wants to be a lip-syncing drag queen while finding common ground with his fiercely obdurate father. The film features knockout vintage torch songs by such legendary Cuban vocalists as Rosita Fornés, Elena Burke and Maggie Carlés, as well as cinematography by Cathal Watters that captures Havana’s vivid street scenes. It also spotlights engaging Cuban actors little seen in this country, including Jorge Pe- rugorría, (“Strawberry and Chocolate”).
The film’s central character, Jesus (Héctor Medina) is a hairdresser. With his mother dead and his father, a former boxer, gone from his life since Jesus was 3, he dreams of realizing his goal. When an unexpected opening at a club occurs, he approaches Mama (Luis Albert García), the man in charge of the talent, and asks for a shot, randomly picking the stage name Viva.
Then suddenly, in the film’s most dramatic scene, Jesus’ father, Angel (Perugorría), reappears and takes up residence in the family apartment. Angel, who is homophobic, absolutely forbids his son to have anything to do with the drag world and suggests that disobeying could result in the kind violence he is capable of inflicting.
One of “Viva’s” best qualities is its ability to convey the reasons behind Jesus’ passion for performing in drag. “It’s strong, it’s pretty,” he tells Mama, adding, “I want something for myself.”
That’s something this film definitely gives him.