One Way or Another · reception & legacy

How One Way or Another has been received, argued over, and remembered.

The arc

Barely seen outside Cuba and academic circles for decades, it circulated mostly through feminist film theory syllabi — now it's steadily climbing the cinephile canon as a landmark of hybrid documentary-fiction and of women's cinema.

What's debated

Fans still debate whether it's a film of the Cuban Revolution or a sly critique from inside it — its takedown of machismo and marginalisation sits uneasily with its state-studio origins.

Its footprint

A touchstone of Third Cinema and feminist film theory, endlessly cited as a pioneer of the docufiction blend — real Havana residents share the frame with professional actors — decades before 'hybrid cinema' became a festival buzzword.

Where it stands

An underseen-but-essential entry on every serious 'films by women directors' list — the first Cuban feature directed by a woman, and a badge of deep-cut credibility on Letterboxd.