The Companion
(El acompañante)
Pavel Giroud | Drama, Fiction, Thriller
2016 | 104 minutes | Cuba
Set in 1988 Cuba as the government dispatched HIV patients to AIDS centers under military rule, The Companion narrates the unlikely friendship between a boxing champion and a conflictive patient.
Synopsis
Set in 1988 Cuba as the government dispatched HIV patients to AIDS centers under military rule, The Companion narrates the unlikely friendship between a boxing champion and a conflictive patient.
After failing a doping test, Horacio Romero has no other choice but to serve a sentence. His fate is in Los Cocos, a sanatorium under military rule where HIV patients are compulsorily confined, with the exception of a weekly pass to visit their families under the supervision of personal wardens called “companions.”
As a “companion,” Horacio is supposed to keep an eye on Daniel -the most conflictive patient in the ward- and get him to comply to the regulations. Their interests immediately collide as Daniel is set to spend his last days in freedom and is ready to do anything to make this happen.
Horacio, on the other hand, dreams about boxing again to get his champion’s status back. For that to happen, however, he must first win this battle out of the ring...
Reviews
"One of the darkest episodes of the Cuban Revolution." — El Caiman Cuadernos de Cine
"The Companion proves once again that the arts can be a great cultural ally in the prevention strategy of HIV/AIDS and can help us to improve our culturally-oriented conversation with communities highly impacted by the virus in New York City." — Transdiaspora Network, NY
"A universal tale of struggles against adversities." — The Hollywood Reporter
"Giroud's lush cinematography and refreshingly spirited look at one of the darker periods in recent history marks The Companion as an important film to watch...A masterclass in balanced filmmaking." — Flickering Myth
"Giroud is mining new ground." — Remezcla
"A reality blow." — Diario Sur
"A subject hardly explored by Cuban art." — Diario Las Americas
Citation
Main credits
Giroud, Pavel (film director)
Giroud, Pavel (screenwriter)
Miguel Gómez, Armando (actor)
Romero, Yotuel (actor)
Rodríguez, Lia (film producer)
López, Antonio Aníbal (film producer)
Tenenbaum, Edgard (film producer)
Edelman, Pierre (screenwriter)
Brugués, Alejandro (screenwriter)
Other credits
Cinematography, Ernesto Calzado Yanes; editor, Jacques Comets; music, Ulises Hernández, Sergio Valdes.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Afro-Latin Studies
Caribbean Studies
Family
Fascism + Repression
Gender + Sexuality Studies
Health + Aging
History
Human Rights
Latin American Studies
Migration Studies
Religion + Spirituality
Science + Technology
Sociology
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
Academy Awards® - Cuba’s submission for Best Foreign Film
Miami International Film Festival - Audience Award
Málaga International Film Festival - Audience Award
Transdiaspora Network NY - Changemaker Award to Pavel Giroud
Cinélatino Rencontres de Toulouse - Audience Award, Centre communal d’action sociale Award
Goya Awards® - Cuba’s submission for Best Foreign Film
DIRECTOR: Pavel Giroud
NATIONALITY: Cuba
YEAR: 2016
GENRE: Drama, Fiction, Thriller
LANGUAGE: Spanish
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: College, Adults
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
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