Strawberry Chocolate

By: Mary Beth & Professor Nerio

     Strawberry & Chocolate (1995), is a Cuban film that illustrates the blossoming friendship of two men during communist rule. Their friendship is unique because it is not meant to be a friendship at all. In fact, David, a young revolutionary, only pursues interest in a friendship with Diego, a gay man, to further investigate his subversive ideology. Under the rule of Cuban President, Fidel Castro, homosexuals had been sentenced to prison. Although some advancements had been made in regards to gay rights since, David still saw an opportunity to turn Diego into the government. Yet, after spending much time together, David is intrigued by Diego's way of thought and a genuine friendship is established. 

     The beginning of the film was a bit unexpected, considering it started off with a full-on porn scene between David's ex-girlfriend and another man. For the movie having been described as a comedy, this threw me off guard. Yet, in turn, became quite comical, as my father happened to be in the living room at the time. "You're watching this for school?!..." he asked. To which I explained, even though it may not be the most conventional education, it was not all about porn and polygamy, but rather, the ideology behind such things.
    Yet, after David's ex-girlfriend is considerably out of the picture, the true story begins. Moping alone at a cafe, Diego approaches David. He orders strawberry ice cream as opposed to chocolate, which makes David suspicious of Diego's masculinity. This suspicion is the result of cultural conditioning pertaining to gender roles and stereotypes. Why can't a straight man order pink ice cream? Is it because the color pink can only be associated strictly with the female gender? Either way, Diego does not fit the gender stereotype, and in fact, has no shame about his nonconformity at all. 

      Skeptical of Diego at first, David dismisses all of Diego's ideas as "wrong." One of the most interesting scenes, in my opinion, is when Diego explains how he became "a fag." David is completely caught off guard and visibly uncomfortable. David even tells Diego that "it must be his family's fault for not taking him to a doctor because his homosexuality is something absorbed in the glands." Yet, by the end of the movie his perspectives have changed. He becomes more comfortable with Diego and more open with ideas of homosexuality. Diego convinces him that it is a sexual behavior that has been normal since the beginning of time, and that society is the only thing keeping it from being considered normal today.
       One way that Diego exposes David to homosexuality is through the use of art. Diego owns many pieces of art, which are not supported by the Communist government in place. David is intrigued by the art and all that it symbolizes. The politics within the paintings and sculptures open his mind to what life could be like outside Communist rule.
       From my perspective, the relationship between David and Diego symbolizes the evolution of the gay movement. At first, there was very little acceptability of such behavior, yet, as time goes on, contemporary society has become more and more comfortable with the idea of homosexuality. They are challenging governmental conservatism on the issue, just as Diego sought to do, and most importantly, they are succeeding.