Rosa and the Executioner of the Fiend

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Rosa and the Executioner of the Fiend

I have always said that the best movies are those made in one location, with as many actors as necessary, and a good, solid story that keeps you glued to the screen until the very end. It is truly an art to accomplish this, to entertain people without big budgets, special effects, etc. Films following these principles that come to mind are “Twelve angry men” (1957), “The Incident” (1967), and “Deterrence” (1999). Now we have to add the passionate and penetrating “ Rosa and the Executioner of the Fiend” to this small, incomplete, but impressive list.

Helmed by Iván Acosta with a visibly low-budget, and based on his own play with the same name, the story takes place in one apartment, which happens to be located in front of the United Nations building in New York City. It is the year in which this important institution is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary and many world leaders are making their presence felt at such an historic celebration. The apartment is inhabited by Rosa Mandelbaum (Graciela Lecube), an 80-year old Jewish woman, who has been living by herself for quite some time.

One day, an intruder takes Rosa hostage in her own place. He goes inside her home claiming to be the grocery delivery clerk. He calls himself Amaury (Gabriel Gorces), a young Cuban man, who wants to kill Fidel Castro with a rifle from Rosa ’s place. The Cuban leader was invited to the United Nations anniversary. However, it is not as easy as we might think, because both Rosa and Amaury share a Cuban connection with similar life paths.

“Rosa and the Executioner of the Fiend” (Rosa y el Ajusticiador del Canalla) is intelligent, educational, and at times funny. We learn some episodes – dark, if you will – of Cuban history that otherwise would have been unknown to us until we watch the film. Whether or not you agree with the Cuban revolution, I am certain that you will enjoy this movie. The acting is superb and Lecube and Gorces were well- selected for the main roles. ( USA , 2009. color, 102 min.) Reviewed on March 21, 2010. MVD Visual