Return to Ithaca

15 yrs 92 minutes • 2014 • 6.5

On a terrace in Havana, five friends meet up to celebrate that one of them, Aldo, has returned after 16 years in exile in Spain. The happy mood slowly changes to something more serious as they begin to discuss the past, shared experiences, and unrealized dreams. The tension between the friends grows when it becomes clear to them that the person who left always wanted to come back home, and that those who stayed in Cuba wants to move away. “The setup with just a long talk sound drier than it actually is. The film offers an extremely elegant and touching ensemble play and even though 'people just talk', there is pain, bitterness, and comedy in the plot. In addition, a scathing critique is exposed against a totalitarian regime that has intervened in these people's innermost and shaped their destinies " writes Susanne Sigroth-Lambe in Upsala Nya Tidning.