Movie Review: The Lost Son of Havana

I'm not much of a baseball fan and had never heard of Luis Tiant. He was a great pitcher in the sixties an seventies. He's also Cuban and has been in exile since 1961. He wanted to go back to Cuba and see his family. It's still illegal for Americans to go there except under special arrangement by both governments. They tried and failed but then got permission provided the film crew play in an exhibition baseball game. The Lost Son of Havana documents his trip in 2008.

I found the first hour to be pretty slow. Tiant was pretty quiet, even while visiting an old friend in Miami in a stop before going to Cuba. There was some backstory about his father, another great pitcher who played in the black league in the US from 1926-1948. As Tiant makes it to Cuba we see a lot of shots of the streets as he drives around. He also runs into a former childhood friend at his old home who's mad at him. It's clear to us or to Tiant what to make of this guy. In the mid 60s Tiant was a pitching sensation. He had a shoulder injury that reduced his speed but he adjusted his pitching style to be more like his father's with more varied pitches and a style that had him turned away from the plate for much of the pitch to hide his intent.

If the rest of the film was like this I really would not have liked it. Friends called me an insensitive asshole for having this view and I can actually respect that. Fortunately the last 45 minutes is really good. He had a lot of injuries from 1969 to 1971 and was now playing for the Boston Red Sox. He had an amazing comeback in 1972 and was one of the most popular players in baseball for several years. In 1975 the Red Sox were in the World Series which included some of the greatest games ever played. Through a special allowance by Castro after being asked by a state department offical, Tiant's parents were allowed to come to the US. They spent 14 months in the US before their deaths, and hearing Tiant tell the story is devastating. After this he visited with more relatives on his Cuba trip and was more talkative about how difficult it was not seeing his family, how difficult life was for them in Cuba, and how he could have done more for them even though he tried.

Perhaps the first half was needed as setup for the payoff of the end. I'm not sure. Tiant was certainly keeping his feelings to himself at the beginning of his trip and that didn't help. But I'd rather have the second half be better than the first and the second half was a very strong film.

Tiant and the filmmakers were at the screening and they brought many of their friends. And of course the rest of the theater were filled with Red Sox fans. There were lots of cheers during the exciting moments of the games and it was impossible not to be caught up in the excitement. Though i think it would be exciting even without the special audience.