Oceans are the Real Continents
Three stories of migration, exile, and memory develop in the Cuban town of San Antonio De Los Baños, a place that time forgot. Alex and Edith, a young couple in their 30s, build their lives upon small gestures, reminisces, and a deep connection amidst the nation's ruins. Milagros survives selling peanut cones on the street, spending her days listening to the radio and reading old letters. Nine-year-old best friends Frank and Alain go to school and dream of emigrating to the U.S. to become baseball players.
A “beautifully realized” and “exquisite” (The Hollywood Reporter) debut from filmmaker Tommaso Santambrogio, Oceans are the Real Continents brilliantly captures the complexity of life in Cuba today. With striking cinematography and a remarkable cast of first-time actors, Oceans are the Real Continents is a “wistful and poetic journey sure to linger on in memory” (InReview Online).
Cast
- Alexander Diego
- Edith Ibarra
- Frank Ernesto Lam
- Alain Alain Alfonso González
- Lola Amores
- Jhon Steven Baldriche
- "[B]eautifully realized.... Both desolate and exquisite."
- "Mesmerizing... stunning.... Oceans Are the Real Continents is an ode to a wounded, wondrous country that still bleeds and loses its young to emigration."
- "A poetic, poignant and beautifully constructed work that is both artistically resonant and deeply moving."
- "[A] wistful and poetic journey sure to linger on in memory."
- "Oceans Are the Real Continents is a dazzling film to look at and -- better yet -- to lose yourself in."
- "Santambrogio’s film... is not one of big narrative manouevres or dramatics but of the smaller ripples of emotion that ebb and flow through life with just as much impact."
- "[V]isually enrapturing.... A film to be contemplated, and stored safely in your heart."
- "The black-and-white Oceans Are The Real Continents is subtly intoxicating. [A] meticulously crafted and absorbing film. "
Gallery
Awards & Recognition
Best Film
Athens Panorama of European Cinema
Giornate degli Autori Award
Venice Film Festival
Audience Award World Cinema
Vancouver Int'l. Film Festival
Audience Award
Thessaloniki Film Festival
Best First Film
Havana Film Festival
Audience Award
Montreal Int'l. Documentary Festival
Miami Film Festival