Blame It on Fidel

The chief virtue of Blame It on Fidel is its realistic and uncondescending view of childhood. In the film we see the world through the eyes of Anna, a nine-year-old whose early childhood is spent in the early 1970's as the daughter of a well-to-do young Parisian lawyer and a writer for a French women’s magazine. She and her oblivious younger brother undergo a significant change of lifestyle as her parents become radicalized, activists working in support of the Allende regime in Chile. Because of their politics they give up their home, their servants, and Anna’s Catholic school, much to Anna’s chagrin on all counts.

What is realistic about the portrait of Anna as a child of nine? First, she is conservative in the sense that she resists change of any sort. We think of children as flexible, and they do adapt to change generally more quickly than adults, but they would prefer to have, say, their bedtime routine remain the same forever. Second, we see Anna absorbing information that becomes part of her intellectual repertoire, and some of it is nonsense, such as her Cuban nanny’s view of Communists. Or her father’s claim that Mickey Mouse is a fascist. It is difficult for her to assess it, so her prespective is often an incongruous jumble. Finally, it is realistic in showing how children adapt to the world that is presented to them. Slowly, the conservative Catholic little girl becomes absorbed into the left-wing politics of her parents, through her exposure to and eventual affection for the radicals who have become almost co-residents of their small apartment.

Nina Kerval plays the sober Anna, and the movie belongs to her. She does not mug it up for the camera, or pretend to be wiser than she is, nor is she forced to deliver “cute” dialogue. Her demeanor is generally somewhere between worried and stubborn. Her frown, especially toward her brother, is almost constant. There are also moments of defiance (that all parents are familiar with). I imagine all this would be a difficult role for a child actress, but she pulls it off convincingly, probably a result of being well directed. Two scenes stand out—when, angry at her parents, she takes her brother by the hand and, with him scurrying to keep up with her angry walking, they run away--to the library. She brings her brother home finally, her mother takes the boy in and shuts the apartment door in Anna’s face. Anna does not break into tears, nor is her character irreparably damaged. She is merely surprised, and angry and prepared to wait. The second scene is when her parents take her to a political rally, which becomes violently chaotic when the police turns on the crowd with clubs and tear gas. Anna doesn’t understand why the people are running away and stands her ground less in defiance than mere bafflement and surprise. Finally her father finds her and whisks her to safety. The scene is shot from Anna’s perspective; she is lost in a sea of blue jeans, anything above an adult’s waist obscured to her.

One reviewer called Blame It on Fidel a double coming-of-age story. I’m not so sure of that, but the parents certainly are evolving at an accelerated pace. They also make mistakes and disagree. Perhaps the irony of the film is Anna’s relative steadfastness in the face of her parents’ radical makeover.

I can recommend this fine little movie because of its unusually honest take on childhood. Some of the historical events are a little dim in memory, but their impact on Anna and her parents is clear. Thanks to Mary for the tip.

Subtitle Alert: Persons speaking in foreign tongues.