The Gaze (2002)

• 36%
• 2002
• Enrique Álvarez

Four young people meet in Havana harbour. One of them is Ivan, an amateur photographer who was completely obsessed with his work until this encounter. During his attempts to put together a new collection, he does however come into contact with various people who interest him more than his work. The beautiful Ana especially attracts his attention. After a three year stay abroad, Ana has returned to Cuba, but she no longer feels at home here. When she left, her former boyfriend Sergio refused to leave the country with her. Now Ana is going to the station, where Sergio will arrive from Matanzas. To her amazement, Sergio arrives in the company of his new partner Carla. The situation is not made any easier: Ana and Sergio have a past, Ivan is very fond of Ana and Carla wants to leave the country with Sergio. In the meantime, in the course of this day Ivan tries to follow the situations with his camera, in vain in the end. While the photographer is looking for images of Cuba to sell abroad, real life takes its course around him. That life seems characterised by the dilemma: should one stay in Cuba or not? With its colourful setting and the beautiful and meticulous photography, the metaphorical Miradas is a lust for the eye.