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Una Noche Movie Analysis

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In Una Noche, three teenagers, Raúl, Elio, and Lila, prepare for and eventually make the 90 mile journey from Havana, Cuba to Miami, Florida. The two young men desire to leave Cuba to search for a better life while Lila, Elio 's sister and narrator of the film, joins at the last minute to prevent being separated from her twin. Lila is the pragmatic voice of reason among the three and is not completely sold on the perfect life that Raúl proclaims they will find in Miami. Elio is not quite as enthusiastic about the American dream as his friend and is primarily travelling with Raúl to Miami due to his suppressed romantic feelings for the other young man. Una Noche was directed by Lucy Mulloy, a first time director who decided to make the film …show more content…

Raúl 's perception of what life will be like for them in America is extremely skewed. This is highlighted by his decision to dress nicely for the intense 90 mile journey because he believes he will easily be able to find his absentee father right as he arrives in Miami. No details are revealed about Raúl 's father or when he left, but in Raúl 's mind, his father has become very successful, owns a sports car, and is involved with a multitude of women in the United States. This concept of the American dream is not an actuality for countless immigrants and Lila gives Raúl a reality check. She lets him know that they will still be working in kitchens in America, but in Cuba they would at least have health care. Raúl 's concept of America as the perfect land of opportunity and instant success is a dangerous idea that leads to disappointment for many who find themselves below the poverty line in the United States. At the end of the journey when only Raúl and Lila arrive in America, Raúl 's father is not waiting and their first steps on American soil are weak stumbles. The film ends on an abrupt note with their arrest and leaves their ultimate fate unknown, mirroring the uncertainty that generations of immigrants have felt when arriving in the United

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