Viva is set in Havana and focuses on a solitary young man, Jesus, at the crossroads between choosing his future and discovering his past. Does he have to choose or can he strike a balance between being a living, breathing giving tree or claiming some ground for himself?
I have seen Viva twice. Initially I was completely absorbed in Jesus’ plight and quite virtually protective of him. There were very few supporting characters whom I thought were worthy of him, and I did not like most of them because I thought that they were using him. If you ever want to know how people really feel about you, say no. If you ever want to feel virtual rage on behalf of a fictional character or get triggered as you reminisce about all the acquaintances, friends and family that treated you like an afterthought until they needed something then used you as their scapegoat for all the problems that you did not cause, but were damn well expected to solve, then this movie is perfect for you. The worst person is the one who benefits from Jesus’ largesse, blames Jesus for a relative’s behavior, makes Jesus’ life more difficult by getting that person drunk and then threatens to beat Jesus up. Worst house guest ever! After my first viewing, I paid homage to Mama, the owner of a nightclub/refuge for men and transgender women who earn money while performing in drag, by casually wearing white pants and cobalt blue tops with my hair pulled back like Michelle Obama at Presidon’t’s inauguration. I know, girl, these people! Mama was the only one, including Jesus, who was looking out for Jesus, and everything that she says was quote worthy. I could not tell if there were some unspoken cultural rules which were getting lost in translation.
For instance, it felt as if even adult men (it is easy to think of Jesus as a boy, but he has his own place and has to work to survive) had stricter rules to follow regarding obeying his parents, specifically his father or an elder man, than the women, who may be treated harsher, but were generally free to do what she wanted. It was explicitly discussed among the drag performers that there are two ways to work: perform or sex work. Are the heterosexual people in his life unaware or being deliberately ignorant of this choice because a pivotal plot point is that Jesus finally finds his life’s purpose, but no one outside of that world, even when they benefit from it, really want him to do it, which seems as if they are encouraging him to sell his ass? Considering how homophobic everyone is, it cannot be the latter so is it like homophobic parents who tell their kids to stop being gay or get out then kicking them out leads the kids to the worst, exploitive aspects that they should actually want them to avoid? I think that it is the latter, but I was uncertain, and it infuriated me.
Even though Viva has a Cuban cast and is set in Cuba, it is actually an Irish film. I have seen plenty of films set in Cuba, but I am uncertain whether any of them had Cuban directors. The writer appears briefly as a tourist. To this ignorant American, it feels as if it is a Cuban film because everyone speaks Spanish, and there are subtitles, but it was the Irish entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards though it was not nominated. While I adored this film and felt as if tourists were properly viewed with a jaundiced eye, I cannot ignore that outsiders made this film. The filmmakers are not from Cuba, cannot be presumed to be homosexual or do not always present as cis gender although they could be the latter two, and I just do not know. I am a cis gender woman enjoying a film, but how would someone like Jesus feel about this film. I did not think that his depiction was exploitive, exoticized or two-dimensional, but as someone who has settled for others telling stories about people like me versus people like me telling stories about people like me, I cannot assume that it is interchangeable. I believe that Viva is one of those rare movies, but if it is not, it could explain those lost in translation moments.
During my second viewing of Viva, even though I was unswervingly in Jesus’ corner, I decided to try and see the events of the movie from the second most important character in the film after the titular character, which is Jesus’ drag name. At its core, Viva is a movie about a father and son trying to reconnect with disastrous results, and the father, Angel, is almost impossible to love, but I think that taking this approach fleshed out the character study in a way that makes Jesus’ actions seem less as if he is a heroine in a Lars von Trier film and more like a person who genuinely stopped resenting and began relating to his father. The first time that Angel sees Jesus, it is easy to write off his reaction as stereotypically hateful, but suppose Jesus looked like his mother? It is a more complex portrait than the lout, selfish drunk who is happy to vampirize his son. Because of someone else’s issues, their first meeting is the worst scenario of a reunion, and the rest of the film is them in their respective corners trying to reach the other, and the first touch is unwelcome and violent so every attempt afterwards is flinching and silent. The other performers talk about their dads, and maybe paying close attention to those verbal pictures painted show how Angel is different and should make us ask why he is different. Yes, he is horrible, but there is something fundamental and if the story was less realistic in other areas, sentimental, about their meeting place.
Viva is a story about two men and a place, a home. They are special because of their physical gifts, but who they are is the place that they were born. Jesus has options, but never wants to leave his home. Angel comes home. Even though they share the same home, this word has different definitions for both of them. They are men trying to reconcile how they see themselves when alone and publicly. They are at opposite ends of the journey, but they both conclude that while the public persona is crucial to who they are, it is not everything. While the post credits scenes still fill me with dread because we see how Jesus’ life will be off stage, and what some may see as a life filled with joy and community, I saw a whole lot of obligation, it is supposed to be the former. The home is special and provides them a place to rest outside of the spotlight. The home is supposed to act as a counterbalance of treasured personal relationships, which Angel had, but did not appreciate.
If I have one issue with Viva, I theoretically like the parallels between Jesus and Angel’s lives, but I do not agree that Jesus has an issue with treasuring relationships, but people have a problem with appreciating Jesus. It is arguable that there is a lot of off-screen repentance, but I am not sold. Jesus needs a room of his own.
