
Balseros
Seen it?2002 | 120 min | Documentary
Why it’s a Saturday Special
It earned strong reviews (88% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite almost no lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for the curious.
- The mood
- Eye-opening.
- The pace
- Moves along nicely, at 2 hr.
- What might put you off
- It's in Spanish, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
In the summer of 1994, a team of public television reporters filmed and interviewed seven Cubans a few days before their risky venture of setting out to sea in homemade rafts to reach the coast of the United States. Six made it far enough to be picked up at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard. When these balseros (rafters) were finally allowed to go to the United States, the film crew went with them to a string of several cities. Seven years later, the film crew visits them again, to discover that their destiny has been in the United States. Theirs is a true story about some of the authentic survivors of our times, the human adventure of people who are shipwrecked between two worlds.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 73 on Metacritic
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsBelow par
Nominated for 1 Oscar.
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$62K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 2K people sought it out in the past year
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Cast & crew
Directed by Josep Maria Domènech, Carlos Bosch
- Maria Celeste ArrarasSelf (archive footage)
- Fidel CastroSelf (archive footage)
- Bill ClintonSelf (archive footage)
- Guillermo ArmasSelf


