One Way or Another (1974, Sara Gómez)

A didactic sociodrama about a schoolteacher who falls in love with a bus factory worker. Their romance unfolds in the midst of the destruction of the old establishment as it transitions into the new order of Revolution. An intriguing and [at times] confusing blur between the imaginary and documentary, the film places an invented love story amongst the destruction of Havana slums, interviews about the poverty under the Batista regime, worrisome parent-teacher conferences, the very real smile of a woman shyly in love being serenaded, and other realities of a nation in transition, invoking the cognitive dissonance that one can imagine occurs in a society changing its philosophy. In a perfect segment, the film explores the history of a secret society and connects its ancient code to male chauvinism in Cuban society, depicting their initiation rites and a drumming ceremony, fulfilling my fundamental belief that every great film needs the drums.