Larita is a young Cuban high school student in 1956 who dreams of getting a scholarship to study in the United States. She lives in a ramshackle home with her mother and aunt's family, but they are neighbours to Ernest Hemingway's famous mansion, and she idolizes the great writer while reading his books. However, no matter how far Larita's exams take her or how far she gets in the scholarship, her hopes are dashed when it's revealed she's an illegitimate child, and without a birth certificate or the right social connections, she cannot be approved. Meanwhile, the society she lives in is politically volatile with her classmates being arrested in protests against Batista.
The parallels with The Old Man and the Sea are made repeatedly: no matter what dream Larita catches, it is devoured by the sharks surrounding her. Hello Hemingway was Cuba’s official selection for the 1991 Academy Awards.
Tuesday 13th November
100 min
18+
Film Festival
