An all-time classic, that is how every good Cuban would describe the play by the playwright Héctor Quintero “Contigo pan y cebolla” (With you bread and onion), which premiered for the first time in 1964 at Teatro Estudio, as the debut of its author, and was acclaimed by the public and critics. The cast included the performances of Berta Martínez and José Antonio Rodríguez.
After three years of conceiving the film version of the production, director Juan Carlos Cremata released the film in 2014 as a tribute to the Cuban playwright and his career on the stage.
Although the original text of “Contigo pan y cebolla” was conceived in a time and space that is far removed from current events, themes such as the struggle of a humble family to survive on the father’s salary and the allusion to aspects such as the dreams of a mother worried about the future of her children, maintain contact with the reality of the 21st century in Cuba.
The film takes place in the 1950s and the purchase of a refrigerator triggers a conflict in which scenes are constructed that allude to the uselessness of studies compared to the money that a job brings, the prominence of a favorable economy compared to the misfortune of having to pay in installments, because the salary is not enough.
The masterful performances of Alina Rodríguez and Enrique Molina as the parents Lala and Anselmo, the performance of Natalia Tápanes and Carlos Solar as the children, Osvaldo Doimeadiós and the cartoonish debt collector he brings to life, as well as the interpretation of Alicia Bustamante as the old Fefa and Edith Massola, in the role of the neighbor, make up the cast of the version.
The aforementioned characters recreate archetypes that have been preserved as part of Cuban society for decades. A curious fact about this film version of “Contigo pan y cebolla” is the debut of Cuban singer and composer Leoni Torres in the seventh art.
Brenda González Betancourta graduate in Journalism from the University of Matanzas and passionate about culture. She has collaborated with other media outlets linked to art and its manifestations.
