Screen Savor: Viva

Set in the slums of Havana, a region we will no doubt be seeing more of onscreen and elsewhere with the change in U.S./Cuban relations, Viva (Magnolia) is a touching film about Jesus (Héctor Medina), a young gay man just trying to survive. Jesus does hair and has a variety of regular clients. There's elderly Nita (Paula Andrea Ali Rivera), who promised Jesus' late grandmother and late mother that she'd look after him. Jesus also does the hair and wigs for Mama (Luis Alberto García) and his drag troupe of performers including Pamela (Renata Maikel Machin Blanco) and Cindy (Luis Manuel Alvarez).

Jesus' father Angel (Jorge Perugorría), a boxer whose glory days are behind him, isn't dead, but according to Nita, he "might as well be." Nita's granddaughter Cecilia (Laura Alemán), Jesus' best friend, is dating rising boxer Javier (Oscar Ibarra Napoles) and occasionally borrows Jesus' apartment for their amorous rendezvous.

Jesus, who has "no one, nothing," and "wants something for himself," asks Mama if he can audition for the troupe. Mama agrees to let him audition, on the condition that he still has to do Mama's wigs. Choosing the name Viva, Jesus shakily passes the audition. The night of Viva's debut performance, Jesus didn't tuck properly, and Cindy and Pamela observe that "they can see her cock from Cienfuegos."

Everything changes on the night of Viva's second performance. Angel, who has been missing since Jesus was three, has returned to town and is in the audience. He assaults Viva during her number as a way of reintroducing himself to his son. With nowhere to go, he not only insinuates himself into Jesus' apartment, but also forbids his son from performing. This leads Jesus to hustling as an alternate means of making money.

From here on, Viva, which could also be called The Cuban Girl, becomes an intimate examination of the father/son dynamic. The two men struggle to find a way to accommodate each other while also continuing to stake out their own territory and identities. There is tragedy and triumph throughout and Medina, who makes his feature length debut in Viva, portrays Jesus with sensitivity and authenticity, bringing him vividly to life. [Viva opens on May 6 at Landmark's Century Center.]