Deviating from Queer and Homosexual Stereotypes

Queer paradigmatic changes that deviate from the stereotype of the faggot: Cuban cinema and films about Cuba

Queer theories have inspired changing and conflicting discourses since the word queer emerged in American and European academia decades ago, including the development of CUIR as a form of local advocacy in Mexico (Falconí). Annamarie Jagose explains that attempting to synthesize all concepts of queerness into a single summary is a partial representation of what queerness really means (1). Academia in the United States has observed that the application of queer theory to Latin American film studies can reveal the ways in which the directors of these films have portrayed values that did not fit into the usual norms of their respective societies. For example, the male/female binary has been a topic of discourse that has been deconstructed by queer theory; and a theme that is seen in two Cuban films: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea's Fresa y chocolate (1993) and Julian Schnabel's Antes que anochezca (2000). Characters who do not fit into the definitions of either side of this binary are especially visible, especially because they do not fit into the feminine or masculine norms of that society.

David William Foster has commented on queer theory and Latin America in his seminal book, Queer Issues in Contemporary Latin America (2003). He explains that the questioning of the social norms of any patriarchal society represents one of the key themes observed in many Latin American films studied under queer theories. Themes that concern queer theory include binaries involving sexuality and identity ( Queer Issues ix). This is why there is so much discourse about identity in cinema, because there are so many different perspectives to consider. Not only are characters and their relationships analysed, but there is also an exchange that consists of self-analysis by the viewer about their own prejudices.

According to Foster, this exchange is something more recent that has emerged in Latin American film studies and fosters a deeper, more emotional connection. Looking at films from a queer lens implies an analysis of the film’s content itself, but also represents an element of introspection (“Vinodh” 124). Thomas Elsaesser and Malte Hagener support this concept of introspection by explaining how the process of self-examination fosters connections between introspection and the gazes of both the viewer and the protagonists of the films, and each other (83). Not only does the viewer look at films through their own personal gazes and beliefs, but also the gaze of the “Other” in the cinema causes introspection and evaluation through the gaze of others (84).

The paradigmatic faggot

Vinodh Venkatesh observes that prior to a specific moment in Latin American film history, characters who might have been considered queer, using current definitions, only appeared in Latin American films to be the butt of ridicule (5). In films produced in what Venkatesh calls “New Maricón Cinema,” characters and relationships of interest to queer theory were not just in the films for comic relief, but were given full storylines as main protagonists (5). Venkatesh acknowledges that in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, there was a significant “boom” in homosexual representation in Latin American films, specifically of representations created by the stereotypes upheld in heteronormative and patriarchal Latin American societies (7).

Any academic research on the application of queer theories to cultural production attempts to reveal and understand everything that can be considered queer, as well as everything that goes directly against the heteronormative norms of a particular society. The films analyzed in this work are useful in examining the different themes of the theory that have been seen specifically in Cuban cinema and films about Cuba. In this way, the problems faced by people who consider themselves contrary to what is called heteronormative in Cuban society can be studied as they are represented in these films.

Strawberry and chocolate : David and Diego

One of the queer relationships is found between the characters David and Diego in the film Fresa y chocolate (1993), directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. The film is set in Fidel Castro's Cuba in the 1990s. David is a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party and Diego is considered a counter-revolutionary (Fresa). Due to their differences in politics and sexuality, the friendship that grows between David and Diego in Alea's film can be considered queer because it goes against the hyper-masculine revolutionary norms and machismo of Cuban society at this time.

At the beginning of the film, David sees himself as the stereotypical closed-minded revolutionary, someone with a rigid attitude as well as some aggressively homophobic beliefs. When he first meets Diego, David not-so-subtly points out his Communist Youth badge, moving it from one pocket of his shirt to another (Strawberry 11:00-11:10). Foster explains that this action demonstrates heteronormative behavior and that David does this to warn Diego that he does not want to be bothered by him ( Queer Issues , 150). This instance of aggressive homophobia demonstrated by David early in the film highlights his intolerance of who Diego is and serves as a jumping-off point to showcase the importance of their future, burgeoning friendship.

Foster also draws attention to a problem with Diego's character: he is a gay man who is constantly trying to trick a straight man into having sex with him (152). Diego tricks David when he convinces him to visit his apartment, telling him that he has compromising photos of David and, because of the composition of them, that he should take them back. Diego then spills a cup of coffee on David's shirt to get him to strip, aggressively flirting with him the whole time. Foster suggests that Diego's aggressive flirting represents heterosexist society's expectations for a homosexual to act this way, and thus his behavior perpetuates harmful stereotypes about gay men in Latin America (152).

Because of the stereotypes depicted in these characters, especially at the beginning of the film, this film can be considered part of the trajectory of “Maricón cinema.” Venkatesh agrees, referring to the stereotypical way the characters behave and commenting on how the film straddles the line between serious and non-serious films about homosexuality (52). The author concludes that Fresa is a film within the trajectory of “Maricón Cinema” because it does not ask the viewer to interact in an intimate way (52). He underlines that these films are not only negative representations of homosexuals in Cuban society, but are part of a much broader trajectory of “Maricón Cinema” (Venkatesh 59). Therefore, the relationship that develops between Diego and David, as well as the personal growth that each man experiences, are some of the main reasons why Venkatesh categorizes this film in the foreground of the trajectory of “Maricón Cinema.”

At the beginning of the film, the characters of David and Diego represent a metaphor for Cuban heteronormative society because they reflect the harmful stereotypes, about both gay and straight men, that have been determined by a society that normalizes binaries. However, the binaries portrayed in these behaviors between the protagonists change throughout the film and both characters feel more open and free to explore a homosocial relationship, a relationship—if it does not turn homoerotic—that is considered normal in Cuban society.

Before Night Falls : Reinaldo Arenas

One of the most important and first films in Cuban cinema recognized as one that has broken into “New Maricón Cinema” is Julian Schnabel’s Before Night Falls (2000). It is a film version of the autobiography of Cuban author, Reinaldo Arenas. This film, like Strawberry and Chocolate , is set in Fidel Castro’s Cuba at a time when no kind of social otherness was tolerated. The political climate set the norms that were allowed within this society. Before Night Falls , on the other hand, begins much earlier, at the beginning of the Cuban revolution.

One theme that Schnabel brings to this film is the existence of the Military Units to Aid Production, or UMAP concentration camps. Foster explains how in Cuba these camps represented the correction of social Otherness in Castro’s Cuba. This theme is very relevant to the study of this film. Before Night Falls is primarily set in Cuba, between the 1950s and 1990s in the twentieth century, at a time when the regime was totally intolerant of any deviation from what was considered “revolutionary” behavior. Foster shares that, in the eyes of Fidel Castro and his regime, any anti-revolutionary behavior, such as being gay, or being a writer, fell outside of acceptability in Cuba, and people who behaved in this manner were seen as social Otherness ( Queer Issues 55). For Reinaldo, this meant that he not only suffered in this society for being gay, but also for being a writer.

One of the most important themes Foster discusses is the idea of the neighborhood watch in Cuba. He explains how in Cuba at this time, people were constantly revealing some secrets about their neighbors to the regime; that is, the neighbors were the censors of their own behavior. All because of a blind belief in the regime ( Queer Issues 55). If someone in Cuba was accused of being homosexual, even if they were not, they were almost certainly arrested for the crime of homosexuality ( Queer Issues 55-56). Schnabel reveals this notion in one of the scenes in the film, where Reinaldo confides in someone who ends up turning him in to the revolutionary forces ( Before 1:07:25-1:08:20). The watchman is praised for his heroic act while Reinaldo ends up imprisoned for his crimes related to government-banned literature. Foster concludes: “Homophobia makes sure that it accuses those who are not in a position to defend themselves” ( Queer Issues 56), which is also evident in other parts of the film.

For example, when Reinaldo seeks help from the police to find the young men who robbed him on the beach, they all ride in the patrol car, with Reinaldo in the back, to find the perpetrators ( Before 55:00 – 55:31). After meeting them, the young men accuse Reinaldo of touching them in an inappropriately sexual manner ( Before 55:31 – 56:16). This scene is very important because Reinaldo is unable to defend himself because he is now branded as homosexual, accused of perversion, and this inability to defend himself is dramatically emphasized by the reality that he is now in the back of a police car. Reinaldo has not only been identified as homosexual and socially othered, i.e. queer, but also as someone who is afflicted with multiple anti-revolutionary characteristics. Foster explains that this cycle of separating “social otherness” from “normality” was necessary for the regime to continue to have a well-defined counterforce to the revolution and its project of liberating the country ( Queer Issues 57).

Schnabel highlights the mistreatment of Reinaldo Arenas in Cuba in this film, which depicts his and others’ true struggle to be outside of the heteronormative and sexist ideas that Castro enforced. Because of this, the film is considered a “New Maricón Cinema” film (Venkatesh 137). The director focuses entirely on Reinaldo to tell his story and include all the details about his mistreatment. Hearing the true story of the struggles of those who were victims of the Castro regime creates an atmosphere of feeling in the viewer, just as the “New Maricón Cinema” films do (Venkatesh 17). The moments in the film that inspire the viewer to put aside their bias and truly understand the protagonist are called “pivitol screen moments” and are hallmarks of “New Maricón Cinema” (17).

Venkatesh argues for this film’s place in the trajectory of “New Maricón Cinema,” stating that the imagery used by Schnabel in the production creates a sense of shared connection (Venkatesh 137). This vulnerability that the viewer feels is due to the fact that they identify with the travails of a queer protagonist, something that is already new in films on this side of the trajectory towards “New Maricón Cinema” (Venkatesh 137). It can be argued that the protagonist’s rebelliousness and agency stimulates the polemic. The receptivity, popularity, and interaction that this film about Cuba creates both in the viewer and in the culture and the academy that, in the end, emphasizes its place as “New Maricón Cinema” within the continuum of Latin American cinema.

Conclusions

The characters and their relationships in both Cuban cinema and films about Cuba that can be considered queer in today’s terms represent people who do not fit into the macho and patriarchal societies of Latin America. The films Fresa y Chocolate and Antes que anochezca demonstrate the struggles of people who did not conform to the prejudices of Cuban society in the 20th century. Although the story of Antes que anochezca is based on autobiography and historical facts, and the other film is based on fiction, both films express real sociopolitical climates. Furthermore, both films portray the protagonists as feminine or masculine stereotypes. That is, Diego, in Fresa y Chocolate, is represented as an “effeminate” gay man who subtly seduces David for his femininity. He also clearly demonstrates his intentions. Reinaldo Arenas, on the other hand, is a “masculine” gay, a rebellious and dissenting country boy who confronts the system and is punished for it. The way queer characters are portrayed in Cuban cinema and films about Cuba from these eras is of great interest and Venkatesh’s model of this paradigmatic shift is useful in revealing how these films exemplify different behaviors. Studying these films through the lens of queer theory provides a cultural perspective on Cuban society and inspires further research, especially in identifying the plurality of spaces and places in Cuban cinema and films about Cuba.

Works Cited

Before Night Falls . Dir. Julian Schnabel, prod. Jon Kilik, Grandview Pictures, 2000.

Elsaesser, Thomas and Malte Hagener, eds. “Cinema as Eye: Look and Gaze.” Film Theory. An Introduction Through the Senses , Routledge, 2010, pp. 82-107.

Falconí, Diego. “On the queer/cuir/cuy(r) in Latin America. Accidents and misunderstandings in the narrative of Ena Lucía Portela.” Mythologies today 10 (2014): 95-113.

Foster, David William. Queer Issues in Contemporary Latin American Cinema . U of Texas P, 2003.

---. “Vinodh Venkatesh. New Maricón Cinema: Outing Latin American Film . Austin: University of Texas Press. 2016. 238 pp. ISBN 9781-4773-1014-4 (hb); 9781-4773- 1015-1 (pbk)”. Bulletin of Hispanic Studies , vol. 95, no. 1 (2018), pp. 124-25.

Strawberry and Chocolate . Dir.

Jagose, Annamarie. Queer Theory. An introduction . New York UP, 1996.

Venkatesh, Vinodh. New Maricón Cinema: Outing Latin American Film . U of Texas P, 2016.