El Rey de la Habana

The police having come to an understanding that he has no next-of-kin, Reinaldo is sent to a detention home, from which he soon escapes, preferring to try his luck amongst the labyrinth of crumbling streets that make up Old Havana. He soon finds refuge with prostitute Magda, before turning his attentions to drag queen Yunisleidi, both of whom share a sense of self-loathing, as well as love for the boy. Reinaldo, or Rey (Spanish for “king”) as he soon takes to referring to himself, earns pocket money with a series of random odd jobs, from assistant gravedigger, to rickshaw rider and participant at underground sex parties for wealthy foreigners. Dark and picaresque, EL REY DE LA HABANA provides a snapshot of a society on the verge of collapse.

In this adaptation of the novel by Cuban author Pedro Juan Gutiérrez, published in 1999, Spanish director Agustí Villaronga offers up a lurid, sexually-charged narrative that was shot in the Dominican Republic as opposed to Cuba due to the nature of its storyline. WMH