In Theaters 01.10.2025 or Watch at Home 03.07.2025

Oceans are the Real Continents

Directed by Tommaso Santambrogio
Film Movement
2023
120 Minutes
Italy, Cuba
Spanish
Drama
Not Rated

Three stories of migration, exile, and memory develop in the Cuban town of San Antonio De Los Baños, a place that time forgot. Alex and Edith, a young couple in their 30s, build their lives upon small gestures, reminisces, and a deep connection amidst the nation's ruins. Milagros survives selling peanut cones on the street, spending her days listening to the radio and reading old letters. Nine-year-old best friends Frank and Alain go to school and dream of emigrating to the U.S. to become baseball players.

A “beautifully realized” and “exquisite” (The Hollywood Reporter) debut from filmmaker Tommaso Santambrogio, Oceans are the Real Continents brilliantly captures the complexity of life in Cuba today. With striking cinematography and a remarkable cast of first-time actors, Oceans are the Real Continents is a “wistful and poetic journey sure to linger on in memory” (InReview Online).

Director & Cast

  • Director: Tommaso Santambrogio
  • Starring: Alexander Diego
  • Starring: Edith Ibarra
  • Starring: Frank Ernesto Lam
  • Starring: Alain Alain Alfonso González
  • Starring: Lola Amores
  • Starring: Jhon Steven Baldriche

Where to Watch

Trailer

Photos

Reviews

  • "[B]eautifully realized.... Both desolate and exquisite."
    Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter
  • "Mesmerizing... stunning.... Oceans Are the Real Continents is an ode to a wounded, wondrous country that still bleeds and loses its young to emigration."
    Patricia Boero, The Film Verdict
  • "A poetic, poignant and beautifully constructed work that is both artistically resonant and deeply moving."
    Matthew Joseph Jenner, International Cinephile Society
  • "[A] wistful and poetic journey sure to linger on in memory."
    Travis DeShong, In Review Online
  • "Oceans Are the Real Continents is a dazzling film to look at and -- better yet -- to lose yourself in."
    Zhuo-Ning Su, Awards Daily
  • "Santambrogio’s film... is not one of big narrative manouevres or dramatics but of the smaller ripples of emotion that ebb and flow through life with just as much impact."
    Amber Wilkinson, Eye For Film
  • "[V]isually enrapturing.... A film to be contemplated, and stored safely in your heart."
    Victor Fraga, Dirty Movies
  • "The black-and-white Oceans Are The Real Continents is subtly intoxicating. [A] meticulously crafted and absorbing film. "
    Sam Niles, The Pop Break

Now Playing

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Film Forum New York NY January 10, 2025
Boedecker Theatre Boulder CO January 29, 2025
Laemmle Newhall Santa Clarita CA January 29, 2025
Laemmle Monica 4 Santa Monica CA January 29, 2025
Laemmle Glendale Glendale CA January 29, 2025
Laemmle Claremont 5 Claremont CA January 29, 2025
Laemmle's Town Center 5 Encino CA January 29, 2025