Lucy Malloy’s stunning feature film directorial debut “Una Noche” presented by her mentor Spike Lee is now playing in New York and will be available on iTunes Monday, August 26th.
Focusing on the struggles of life in present day Havana, “Una Noche” is the tale of three kids trying to flee to give themselves a better life. Taking place during one whole day, we see the closest of human bonds, friendship, family, love put to the test and just how far one would go for those closest to them.
For a short film, “Una noche” has a lot of layers to peel apart to get to the core of the story. “Una Noche” centers on three separate characters who each have their own motivations for pushing the limits of their comfort zone: Raul (Arrechaga) wants to get to Miami since he believes that’s where his father is waiting for him; Elio (Florián) wants to help Raul since Raul is his closest friend; Lila (Torre) only wants to go since she cannot live her life without her twin brother/protector.
The film is heavily narrated by Lila, giving us insight into situations we may be blind to with the type Havana lifestyle as well as her family. Lila and Elio are practically inseparable but as she says, things change when he starts working in the hotel kitchen and he meets Raul. Raul and Elio have been slowly planning an escape to Miami, with Elio going out to get the supplies needed to build the raft as well as stay healthy while afloat.
When accidentally causing the near death of a tourist, Raul goes to find Elio to rush the trip. Elio begins to get cold feet and says that he’s unable to go, causing Raul to go on the run from the police since his “crime” will put him in prison for life. Raul and Lila run into each other a couple of times with Lila asking Raul to give Elio a message with Raul mistaking Lila for Elio’s girlfriend. Elio rethinks his decision and decides to finish the raft and get Raul out of Havana with Lila following his every move… unknown to him of course.
Elio is able to find Raul and bring him to the raft where they catch Lila destroying the raft. With a little elbow grease, the raft is fixed and from there… the voyage begins. We follow these three kids as they fight to survive and reach their destination. With some twists and turns along the way, Una noche remains unpredictable and is fulfilling in every way.
With her feature film debut, Lucy Mulloy is able to create a gripping, emotional film that keeps a viewer at the edge of their seats. Mulloy puts her faith in three untrained actors who have never appeared in any movie before. Lucky for her, Florián, Torres, and Arrechaga are able to perform their roles beautifully with none of them trying to do too much with what was given to them.
With some sleek cinematography that makes the films budget seem through the roof, “Una Noche” has a beautiful and unique look that couldn’t happen without the setting of Havana being a character in itself. “Una Noche” is one of those films that stay with you a long while after watching, especially with the ending that Mulloy comes up with.
I’m unsure as to what Mulloy’s next project will be, but it’s something to keep an eye on for the future as it should be something truly special.
-Joshua Kaye
