The Hidden Face of the Revolution: 'Improper Conduct' Uncovers Cruel Repression in Cuba

Abstract

“Conducta impropia” (1984) is a documentary directed by Néstor Almendros and Orlando Jiménez Leal that exposes - practically in the flesh - the repression suffered by homosexuals and opponents of the Cuban regime during the country's darkest decades. With a running time of 105 minutes, the film offers a penetrating vision of the harsh reality, through testimonies of figures such as novelist Reinaldo Arenas, artist Jorge Lago, writer Mireya Robles and screenwriter Guillermo Cabrera, among others. They describe in detail the repression carried out on the island, from the creation of the Military Units to Aid Production (UMAP), the forced labor camps in the 1960s, the Purification Assemblies, the imprisonments and even the persecution of those considered immoral by the Castro regime.