This is a charming and light-hearted Cuban film that explores the radical changes the world (and particularly Cuba and Russia) suffered in late 80's and the early 90's. The characters are great, dialogues are well written, actors and actresses do a good job. The narrative is interesting, in the girl's first-person, and the way the lives of the Cuban professor and the Soviet Cosmonaut interact (besides the amateur radio operator from the United states). Politically, the film is critical to some lack of freedom in Cuba and its bureaucratism, unfortunately not mentioning consistently the embargo against the island and not being as critical to CIA spying as it is in relation to Cuba spying. Anyway, the movie is also fierce in portraying the chaos Perestroika and the end of Soviet regime threw Russia in. The end is nice and fulfilled my expectations.

Elements I am long interested in: Ham radios and shortwave radio - I had a shortwave radio in the 70's growing up. Before the Internet ham radios were the Internet Space - I am the son of a NASA engineer that worked on the IU on the Saturn V. I grew up listening to the sound of the F-1 engines being tested. The end of Communism - the largest change in my life. it is hard for those who do not remember it how it seemed impossible the Cold War would end, and then in a flash it did. There are really only 2 Stalinist states left: Cuba and North Korea.

One VERY minor spoiler at the end of this review.

Each of the interesting characters work through these changes in their own way. It dables in Apollo Conspiracy nonsense but it does not detract from the tale. The actors are likable, and the circumstances of both Sergio's and Serguei's lives are fascinating. Serguei was literally a man without a country for a while: he entered space as a member of the USSR, he landed as a member of the Russian Federation. One element of the tale is Serguei's ingenuity in fixing his craft. The Russian space program was very good at this, in part because they had to be, but that doesn't make the ingenuity any less real.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of the movie is Sergio's encounters with the Cuban police. Their interference is presented as almost comical, but it is no less real. One wonders, of course, about what the filmmaker was and was not allowed to say. It is possible that the events depicted are old enough that the censors say no need to change anything. In any event the politics of the film are never heavy handed enough to interfere with the story.

The special effects are quite good. This is not, say gravity, but they special effects are certainly better than seen say in the original Star Trek.

An irony alert: Serguei returned to space in 1992: on the US Space Shuttle.

Use an extraordinary imagination, this film from Ernesto Darana showed that the human being despite uncountable differences can help each other when need it. Using an impossible situation a Cuban a Russian ( communist) and American, former member of Nasa are tangled in an extreme situation. Every character have their own personal-social- political problems which can affect the other, but all of them find the way to work together for the best solution of the major problem. I found the photography , the special effects amazing, considering that the film is Cuban. I am still surprise, waiting to get it in the market in zone 1 to buy it. I love the previous work of Ernesto Darana. All the crew and staff related to the film deserve the recognition of the film system, this film is marvelous. Great Job!!!