Showing @ Cineworld, Edinburgh, Mon 24 Jun & Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 25 Jun

Carlos Machado Quintela / Cuba/Venezuela / 2012 / 66 min

Last summer’s Paralympics displayed to the masses the sporting ability of those with disabilities. Although Carlos Quintela’s pensive drama is about four disabled teenagers in Cuba having a swimming lesson, it features very little swimming, instead the focus in on the characters’ personalities and how they interact.

The atmosphere is contemplative with infrequent dialogue pock marking long, unhurried shots. While the aquatic location allows Quintela to expose both their emotions and bodies it also acts as a bubble, where the youths are free to be themselves, predominantly behaving like any other adolescents, relaxed and jovial. However, when a non-disabled swimming team arrive for training, (practically ousting the quartet from the water) even the boisterous Diana (Mónica Molinet) withdraws into her shell. This creates an uncomfortable ‘us and them’ atmosphere, emphasised by a sudden jump in tempo and rise in speech. This feeling is supported in their coach’s (Raúl Capote) incredibly apathy, rarely voicing any tips, inferring a belief that they cannot be taught. Diana’s teasing of Oscar’s muteness reflects a coming to terms with her own disability, trying to take control of something, as if Quintela wants us to question how society views disabled people. Although Quintela presents a contrast between disabled and non-disabled, his focus on the protagonists’ character exposes the human traits shared by us all.

Showing as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2013

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