La Habanera

The film intends to portray Sven Nagel as the hero of the film in “La Habanera,” although after the viewing it’s clear that Don Pedro is unfairly depicted. Although one could view Don Pedro as the hero of the film because of this, it is clear through many scenes that Sven is the superior figure. The last scene of the movie when Astree is leaving the island after ten years proves the superiority and maturity of Sven over Don Pedro. Taking into account that Sven was in love with Astree and traveled back to Puerto Rico with the intention of bringing her home, he puts his love for her aside and allows her mourning as she watches herself finally leave the island. The shot of Astree looking back, clearly upset, and dressed in black, goes against everything she presumably felt during her tenth year of marriage with Don Pedro. The scene does not show Astree and Sven together heading back home, but rather Sven comforting Astree and allowing her to mourn. Instead of wrapping his arm around her in a loving way, Sven places his hand on her back at a safe distance allowing the viewer to see that he is not a home wrecker, but rather a man who did the right thing by helping a former friend return to where she belongs.