Sergio's Guilt

Perhaps the one moment in which Sergio, the protagonist of Memories of Underdevelopment, breaks from his “objective” stance towards Cuban society and even the revolution, comes after he is declared innocent by the revolutionary court. Sergio, in his voice-over narration, notes: “There is something that leaves me in a bad position. I’ve seen too much to be innocent. They have too much darkness inside their heads to be guilty.”
What makes this comment particularly relevant to an understanding of the movie is that it seems to link culpability and class. Sergio has “seen too much,” both metaphorically and literally, precisely because he is a member of the bourgeoisie. The elite education, which has permitted him to develop his intelligence, is based on his economic position within Cuban society. His wealth has also permitted him to travel abroad and “see” the US. (He’s clearly been to New York). His guilt would then ultimately reside on his social privilege.
Moreover, Sergio’s relationship with Elena is predicated on social inequality. Sergio’s connections with the film industry; the fact that he was able to buy his wife luxury clothes, which, in turn, she had been unable to take to Miami; the fact that he owns a luxury apartment, etc; make it possible for him to seduce Elena. One can add to these economic factors, their age difference. One of the reasons, “he has seen too much” is because he is twenty years older than Elena. While Elena is seventeen years old, not sixteen as she claims during the trial, there is little doubt that he has been able to use his greater experience to seduce her.
To its credit, Memories of Underdevelopment avoids populist sentimentality which identifies goodness with poverty, the working class with progressive values, etc. The family’s obsession with obsolete moral values, Elena’s and the family’s lies, undermine any Manichean vision of class relations.
However, the fact is that the court is able to evaluate the case brought against Sergio by Elena’s family based exclusively on legal considerations. The trial can thus be seen as implying a positive view on the Cuban revolution. If the movie presents a lucid and, perhaps, pessimistic view of the Cuban people as divided between a “guilty” bourgeoisie and confused working class, it also presents revolutionary institutions, such as the court, as overcoming this negative dichotomy. One can, perhaps, make the case that the film ultimately justifies the Cuban revolution on the grounds not only that it is justified historically, a point made in the documentary sections of the film, but also in that it manages to overcome the social flaws of Cuban society. In Memories of Underdevelopment the only instance of Cuban society which has overcome “underdevelopment” is the revolution.