Radio Love is a fresh and hilarious comedy by Cuban newcomer Leonardo de Armas. In this feature debut, we join Carolina (Beatriz Rico) on her journey to find herself and achieve inner peace. As she travels from Spain to India and then Cuba before returning home to Spain, de Armas takes us on a rollicking, round-the-world jaunt. Freewheeling and playful Radio Love showcases many of the elements that have made Cuban comedies such a huge success, and adds a touch of Spanish flair.
Carolina has just turned thirty-six, and everything seems to be going wrong. Her stable job as host of the radio show Pasarela (Runway) is suddenly under threat. A gorgeous younger blonde, the annoyingly friendly Lula (Imma del Moral), has been hired to present the show that Carolina created. As if this weren't enough, she has also realized that most of her goals have not been accomplished, and time is ticking fast.
Carolina turns to her best friend Compass Rose (Jorge Luis Gonazáles), a gay carpentry shop owner who gives her hysterical, and not always very helpful, advice. They decide to go to India together in search of a guru. Carolina believes this will help her find the peace she so desires, but she runs away in dismay when the guru speaks Spanish with an Argentine accent.
Back in Spain, Carolina goes to a priestess of Cuban Santeria, who helps her to “open up her sex” – apparently it's stuck. The release ceremony, one of the funniest (and sexiest) moments in the film, is something you simply must see for yourself. This breakthrough propels Carolina on a trip to Cuba, and to a meeting with the man of her dreams. Unfortunately, he doesn't believe in casual sex, and takes her to meet his parents instead. Why is getting laid so damn hard?
De Armas's first foray into directing is a delight to watch. Radio Love speaks to many of us who are convinced that the answer to our problems and the key to self-fulfillment lies on the other side of the world. Through Carolina and her journey, de Armas shows us that everything we need is right at home.
Diana Sanchez
Leonardo de Armas was born in Cuba and studied at the Superior Institute of Art in Havana. He now lives in Barcelona. Radio Love (08) is his debut feature film.