This is an amiable fish-out-of-water comedy which might appeal if you like either ballet and / or Cuba.
Eva Birthistle, the BAFTA-nominated star of Ken Loach’s ‘Ae Fond Kiss’, plays Scottish left-wing activist Rose who wants to see her father right by scattering his ashes in the place where her socialist parents felt at home in the Revolutionary 1970s.
Also going along is sister Ailie (Charity Wakefield), a girl more concerned with fashion and who would like a sunshine holiday.
Despite the potentially morbid nature of their trip, the pair undertake a colourful journey in every sense – which includes losing the ashes in Havana and facing culture-clash difficulties to get them back.
Meanwhile, all female eyes might well be on ballet sensation Carlos Acosta whose decent acting debut involves playing a dance teacher who romances Rosie.
With Cuba's 'Day of Flowers' national holiday a deadline for director John Roberts to aim for, the film is as engaging as it is predictable.
The girls are stopped at customs and then their car breaks down. There’s a bit of Strictly, big cigars and a drop of rum.
The scenery includes wrought iron railings and there’s some Kate Winslet-style work-surface love action, too. Ooh, er, missus!
If the plot gets a bit confusing there are mild diversions with the landscapes and music, though even that is unlikely to send you dancing all the way home.
Day of the Flowers is actually a bit of a companion piece for last month’s scarcely released drama Love Tomorrow (PG), in which former ballet star Cindy Jourdain plays the demure Eva, an ex-ballerina whose career has been cut short by injury, while Cuban dancer Oriel (Arionel Vargas) is also at a crossroads in his life.
More significantly, if you’ve seen the 2012 Oscar-nominated animation Chico & Rita (2010), about a gifted young piano player and a beautiful singer with a voice to match her looks, you’ll know why Day of the Flowers cannot be considered to have reached full bloom!
Showing at Cineworld Wolverhampton at 1.50pm daily until December 12.
