STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE (1994)

STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE (Miramax, R) In this shabby but appealing low-rent Cuban variation on Kiss of the Spider Woman, Diego (Jorge Perugorria), a rebellious gay artist, insinuates himself into the friendly graces of David (Vladimir Cruz), a stoically prim heterosexual university student who believes, with the naivete of a Marxist Boy Scout, in the eternal glory of the Revolution. (Meanwhile, the city of Havana is crumbling before his eyes.) Director Tomas Gutierrez Alea has made a lopsided buddy movie in which Diego, with his cultivated flamboyance, holds the screen far more than his didactic protege (who, we learn, is spying on him). The plot doesn't unfold with much finesse, yet the very contrast between the two men's personalities becomes a moving testament to the war that's tearing apart Cuba's soul. Perugorria gives a superb performance. His Diego has a florid, almost childlike manner that masks a valorous fury-a veritable rage for freedom. B -OG