El mundo de Nelsito

The autistic teenager Nelsito is repeatedly drawn out of the apartment he is not supposed to leave on his own due to a physical disability. When something goes wrong, he ends up in the hospital. Yet even confined to his bed, he creates a shimmering world of his own. In his imagination, he continues the unfulfilled dreams of those close to him while also revealing their hidden depths. His mother, a moderately successful painter, becomes a celebrated artist living in abundance.

Fernando Pérez, known for «La vida es silbar» and «Suite Habana», combines allegorical storytelling with a keen sensitivity to the realities of his country. Between dream and reality, the challenges of everyday life in Cuba come into focus: Cubans must constantly reinvent themselves just to get by. Pérez portrays this hardship not through mere scarcity, but within a world of luxury – ultimately reflecting on fundamental human values that must be preserved in both extremes.