In Havana of the 90s, Rey (Fabio Egue) and Marcos (Luis González) are two 14-year-old neighbors who attend the same high school. Even though they come from different means and experience different social realities, they share common dreams. Rey lives in a very humble house with his grandmother (Magda Quiala) who takes care of him in the absence of his parents. Marcos, who lives in the house next door, enjoys a number of exceptional privileges because of family circumstances. Rey spends his days sitting at the entrance of his house playing chess, which helps distract him from his plight. One day, Marcos approaches Rey and accuses him of stealing his father’s chessboard. They have a confrontation and agree to settle the dispute by betting on a chess match. If Rey wins, he will get Marcos’ shoes, but if Marcos wins, he will get Rey’s chessboard. While they play, they argue about their social differences, and come to realize that they are not so different from each other after all.
During the pre-production phase, the team embarked on a challenging mission to cast two young teenage actors with authentic Cuban accents, physical appearances, and personal experiences similar to the characters in the story. The movie features a stunning natural performance by amateur actress Magda Quiala (Rey’s grandmother) who made her on-screen debut working on this film. She made a genuine, fresh contribution to the depiction of a real Cuban neighborhood on screen.
In Havana of the 90s, Rey (Fabio Egue) and Marcos (Luis González) are two 14-year-old neighbors who attend the same high school. Even though they come from different means and experience different social realities, they share common dreams. Rey lives in a very humble house with his grandmother (Magda Quiala) while Marcos, who lives in the house next door, enjoys a number of exceptional privileges because of family circumstances. Rey spends his days sitting at the entrance of his house playing chess, which helps distract him from his plight. One day, Marcos approaches Rey and accuses him of stealing his father’s chessboard. They have a confrontation and agree to settle the dispute by betting on a match. If Rey wins, he will get Marcos’ shoes, but if Marcos wins, he will get Rey’s chessboard. While they play, they argue about their social differences, and come to realize that they are not so different from each other after all.
One of the great challenges this project presented was to recreate, through the production design, a Havana, Cuba that presents the intention of the story, the dramatic structure, and the emotional burden of the characters. These visual concepts were captured in the images creating a balance between art, budget, and teamwork.
In Havana of the 90s, Rey and Marcos are two 14-year-old neighbors. Even though they experience different social realities, they share common dreams. Rey lives in a very humble house while Marcos, who lives in the house next door, enjoys a number of exceptional privileges because of family circumstances. Rey spends his days sitting at the entrance of his house playing chess, which helps distract him from his plight. One day, Marcos approaches Rey and accuses him of stealing his father’s chessboard. They have a confrontation and agree to settle the dispute by betting on a chess match. If Rey wins, he will get Marcos’ shoes, but if Marcos wins, he will get Rey’s chessboard. As they play they explore their social differences.
For the photography, natural lighting was used, consequently a changing light, which created a technical challenge that resulted in significant teamwork since this type of lighting was one of the key elements required to achieve the closest look to the reality of the story.