Cuba and the Cameraman

In part because of its political blind spots, "Cuba and the Cameraman" is captivating. (Whatever you think of Mr. Alpert's perspective, it's interesting.)

The film's lifeblood can be found in its connective tissue, as Alpert continually revisits the same memorable assortment of Cuban peasants and city folk.

But it's the salt-of-the-earth Borregos, a trio of farmer brothers and their sister, who give the film its most involving through-line, and its heart.

... Cuba and the Cameraman is sustained by the strong bonds of trust which the gregarious [director Jon] Alpert has evidently been able to maintain with Cubans from various echelons of this theoretically classless society.

A veteran documentarian's 40 years of charting the changing fortunes of Cuba and its people yields an informative and personal portrait of Castro's nation.