One of the fathers of post-revolutionary Cuban cinema, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea made documentary shorts before directing his first features. Made in 1968 but set in 1961, his critically acclaimed Memories of Underdevelopment focuses on the early pivotal period in the young history of the new country. The protagonist is a writer (Corrieri) who has just sent his wife off to live in Miami and counters the rush of historical events surrounding him with a singular introspection that borders on the absurd. He eventually becomes involved with a culturally “underdeveloped” young woman, whose education becomes his pathway back into the culture.