Conflicts: 1- The trumpet, 2- The boss, 3-The dancer (*)

“Conflictos” has become to everybody surprise an extremely popular television series having a larger audience than many “soaps”. It employs a satirical format to express criticism of contemporary Cuban society and its many flaws. The unchanging scene is set in the office of a marriage consellor and her secretary (notice sex reversal while Cuba is still a macho society). The couples seeking advice represent a cross-section of Cuban society. The situations created and scripted in each episode underline sexual stereotypes, power structures, effects of economic scarcity, opportunism, moral double-standards and hypocrisy in the difficult times of “rectification” in Cuba. The three episodes presented deal with 1) a trumpet player and his wife, 2) a civil servant full of pretensions and his wife/secretary, and 3) a bare skin dancer of the famous Tropicana cabaret and her husband. Juan “Pin” Vilar, the young director of the series, is the founder of the now defunct moviemakers movement called “Asociacion Hermanos Saiz” a hotbed for young talent fighting for change. He is one of the not too few Cuban filmmakers still prepared to take risks on Cuban television and face the consequences. The actors alternating in the roles of consellor, secretary and couples week after wee are the best young acting talents La Habana studios can offer.