A tender, rough-edged story about a son finding his voice and a father facing his past — set among Havana’s drag performers.
Viva (2015) – Havana, Wigs and a Father Who Wouldn’t Stay Silent
Havana is a movie in itself. Narrow streets, crowded apartments, loud people, and dreams always bigger than reality. In the middle of this chaos lives Jesús, a young hairdresser who spends his days trimming elderly neighbors and his nights dreaming of becoming a drag performer. His stage alter ego is Viva, and the club where he performs is a strange cruise between glamour and complete collapse.
Of course, life turns upside down when Ángel, his estranged father and once a promising boxer, suddenly reappears. He doesn’t return to support Jesús but to forbid him from being who he truly is. That’s where the story begins — not only about drag performances but about identity, love, and what it means to have, or not have, family.
The Characters Who Carry the Film Viva (2015)
Jesús (Héctor Medina) – fragile yet stubborn, his vulnerability is also his strength.
Ángel (Jorge Perugorría) – a father who spent half his life in prison and the other half drowning in bitterness.
Mama (Luis Alberto García) – the queen of the drag scene, both fierce and caring.
Plus Pamela, Celeste, Cindy, Cecilia – a gallery of wigs, makeup, and scars, all believable enough to make Havana feel alive through them.
Atmosphere – Slapped by Reality and Lifted by Song
The film swings between brutal violence and moments when Havana sings. On one side we see shabby apartments, arguments, hunger; on the other, spotlights, sequins, and the illusion that anything is possible. Director Paddy Breathnach shows both worlds without sugarcoating. Drag performances here are not just decoration — they’re the only place where Jesús can truly speak.
Themes That Hurt
Viva is about fatherhood and acceptance, but also about the generation gap. Ángel embodies masculinity in its hardest form — a boxer, an alcoholic, a man who believes weakness is the greatest sin. Jesús is the opposite — vulnerable, emotional, different. Their relationship is conflict but also a quiet plea: can you love even when you don’t understand?
The film also deals with identity and dignity in a country where dreams cost more than life itself. Jesús is not chasing escape to America; he only wants to be seen and heard — on stage, in life, in his father’s eyes.
Impression
Viva is a film that punches you in the gut, then lets you breathe through song. There’s little romanticizing: Havana is poor, people are rough, yet warmth leaks through the characters. Héctor Medina carries the film, Jorge Perugorría provides the counterbalance, and Luis Alberto García steals every scene he appears in.
This is not just an LGBT film — it’s a universal story about family, identity, and the courage to stand on stage and be yourself.
For viewers expecting only a “gay film,” there’s much more. Viva is a story about family ties, about how difficult it is to be yourself when you’re vulnerable, and how sometimes the stage becomes the only place where you can be honest.
