'Viva' examines what it means to be lonely

Paddy Breathnach's drama "Viva" celebrates the self-actualization of a confused, struggling young man immersed in the drag queen cabaret culture of Cuba.

"Viva" stars Héctor Medina as Jesus, a hairdresser and wig custodian for a Havana nightclub run by Mama (Luis Alberto García), a gruff businessman and veteran performer with a gold-plated heart.

One night, Jesus seizes his dream of becoming a performer and ... fails terribly. But he improves.

He takes the name Viva, and hits his stride quickly until one night, a drunk man at the bar abruptly punches his lights out.

He turns out to be Jesus' father Angel (veteran Spanish star Jorge Perugorría), a one-time boxer who abandoned Jesus as a child.

Angel has been released from prison on murder charges. He has no money. So, he breaks into Jesus' tiny apartment and never leaves, railing against his son's life as a gay prostitute and drag star.

Look carefully at "Viva" and you'll see many pictures of loneliness as Cathal Watters' camera captures Jesus at the side of the frame, surrounded by vast expanses of empty space. Even when Jesus sits with Angel, they are dwarfed by a wall of stone that defines their world.

At a time when most American movies sidestep money considerations as a part of daily living (when was the last time you saw a film in which the characters couldn't afford something?), the lives of the characters in "Viva" are shaped, defined and ruled by their limited finances, providing a rough edge of realism that eludes most Hollywood films.

"Viva" suffers from melodramatically convenient plot twists and a rushed emotional epiphany. But Medina and Perugorria mitigate these with ragged performances as characters who can't afford the money - or time - it takes to remain estranged and alone.