Too much dialogue can ruin a movie, but too little leaves the audience longing for more. What are the motivations for the caracters? Why they do what they do? It doesn't seem to matter to the writer and director. It is basically a film about poverty, that could be anywhere... South America, southeast Asia, even Iran! Why set it in Havana? Again, no clues. It is good, but would be better if it was a short film, 15 or 20 minutes, tops.

It is impressive how well an Irish team captures the reality of poverty everywhere, that this story takes place in Cuba and involves transvestites is not relevant. You can place it anywhere in the world and it will resonate as loud.I think there is nothing out of place here. The locations, the clothing, the atmosphere transport you to the daily struggle of the dispossessed. How much hope can these people have? No safe jobs, no income, no food; nothing to hold to, nothing to lose. Still, with all their shortcomings, they also show solidarity; apparently everyone is on his/her own, but in times of need there will always be someone to lend a hand. And this is what made me like the movie, the perfect portrait of this part of society. It is what I have seen through the years in my country; this could have happened in Mexico City, and the occupation of the characters be any other, the fact of the pulling together is always there.Whoever talks about drag performances, lip-syncing, bad editing, missed the whole point of the movie and has no idea what real life in poor Latin America is like. This is a crash course on the subject. The lengths this young boy goes to survive are impressive; to him, being alive is enough, what it takes doesn't scare him: Been there, done that. And so everybody else: his hustler friend, the old drag, the young woman, even the father with what is left for him. Only strength can hold someone in such dire conditions.This is one of the most moving films I have seen in my life and, as I said before, that it is Irish makes it even more valuable. If you are going to watch it, do it with an open heart, you will feel the soul of real people in an all too real and difficult world. Believe me, this is no fiction, this is the real life.

Interesting that the Executive Producer here is Benicio del Toro... he's from Puerto Rico, and this story takes place in Cuba. We learn right at the beginning that our hero Jesus (Héctor Medina) has no family, and is trying to earn a living as a hairdresser, but its not enough. He auditions at a friend's club in a drag number, but its rough going, and there seems to be a lot of competition. (who knew there was that much competition for drag queens in Havana ?) The other performers try to help him, but its an uphill climb. Has the usual themes of hairdressing, prison, and shaky-family connections that one finds in films by Paddy Breathnach. Papa suddenly comes back into his life and just gets in the way, a drunken mess. Won't let Jesus perform. The film is quite good; we get a good idea of life in Havana, what life is like for one group of LGBT folks. The music is excellent, the script, acting, all very high quality. Will Jesus have the strength to do what he wants (needs) to do to survive? A couple twists in here, just to spice things up. Incredible acting by Medina... you totally feel his pain all through the film. All the acting is top notch. Highly recommend this one.

Really nothing to recommend about this film. Another clichéd drag queen flick, this time set in Cuba, which implicates a particular flavor of overwrought shrieking and wailing by unappealingly masculine drag performers. Bleak settings, bleak lives, with a paint-by-the-numbers narrative, and unconvincing performances. This film even managed to make Hector Medina unattractive, which is something of an accomplishment. The longer the film went on, the worse it got. 1 star for a few good drag queen insults, 1 star for Hector Medina's potential. But this was almost unwatchable the first time, definitely not something I'd sit through twice.