All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I've tried to follow the high rating reviews and gave it a try. But what I saw was lot of footages of Castro this and Castro that. The common people showed in this so-called documentary didn't seem to qualify for the real majority, but a phony facade of living in poverty and shortage of everything, the Cuban people still enjoy their lives and quite agreeable to what they don't have and couldn't have. This guy carrying a camera was more like a tourist filming what he chose to shot but didn't really want to dig into the real situation and the peoples' real lives and living standard which is so far pathetic and miserable. A piece of the island is occupied by a foreign country also the sponsor of the international embargo against Cuba. Tens of thousands Cubans were killed or still in jail, millions escaped to the nearby imperial America as refugees. When Obama decided to defrost the enemy status quo, these refugees in their sanctuary country would have to give up their refugee identity and lost their refugees' benefits and welfares, and I think they are now more angry at the American government than against their mother island. This guy didn't not visit the Little Havana in Florida, doing some in-depth interviews on these refugees, most of them are now living in abundant status. He just focused on the people on the island, but how could he get a realistic picture of what they really have to deal with on a daily basis since Cuba in fact is still a communist country, nobody could speak freely or show what they really think about.If we also like this guy and consider him did a great job, then you are just like him, a tourist just off the cruise ship.

I had been in Cuba for a family holiday just after Fidel Castro died. I saw some people who hate Fidel, and also others who are proud of Fidel. I think Jon Alpert succeeded to show people from both sides. He also shows some human side of Fidel via private interviews.The story of the three brothers and the sister is so heartbreaking. They are so nice people and I wished to be with them to help and share all their feelings.It was a 45-year real story of the people. I think Jon Alpert did a great job.

This is a sorry excuse of a documentary that completely covers up the horrible atrocities committed against the Cuban people by the Castros. It tries to act like it's being unbiased but it constantly portrays Fidel Castro as a very nice and misunderstood leader who is a victim of the U.S. embargo. The filmmaker gives him presents? Disgusting! I don't think anyone would have approved of a documentary of Hitler walking around being a likable guy, but somehow it is okay to do it with Fidel Castro even though he's also a mass murderer.I lived in Cuba in the 70s and the food rations and blackouts that are only shown here during the 90s already existed. While he shows briefly the attacks on the people trying to leave to the U.S. in 1980, he doesn't show anything about the people who are sent to jail simply for being critical of the government. There's mention of the free healthcare, but no mention of the fact that there are no medicines available since the 70s not just the 90s. And while Castro always blamed the embargo for the shortage of food and medicine, he continued becoming richer and richer off of the exported goods through cheap labor. He owned property all over and lived in the lap of luxury while his people starved. Where does this show children being forced to cut sugar cane for free during the summers since 7th grade? Where does this show men and women being forced to serve in the military? Where is the mention of the rampant prostitution of women and children, because that is the only way that people can make dollars and euros to be able to feed their families? Where is the interview of Cubans in the U.S. who can speak freely about the atrocities committed in Cuba? Do you really believe that millions of people have fled the island purely because of economic reasons? You interviewed people who could not speak freely and record that as news?Mr. Alpert, you are no journalist. You have created nothing here but Cuban government propaganda and you should be ashamed of yourself. You are a sorry excuse of a human.

The life work of Jon Alpert is beautifully displayed along with an intimate look into Cuba over the years. The simpleness of the farmers lives, happy every day of their lives until the day their first animal was stolen, and then to see their recovery at such a late stage in life after things looked incredibly bleak... one of the best raw images of humanity in its purest form.The interviews with Fidel showed me who he was in a nutshell, and to be honest, I knew little about him prior to this, but it allowed me to paint my own picture of the man.Truly tremendous film, Jon if you read this review, thank you very much for making this.