With a ring in one hand and a cigarette in the other, Erik proposes to Gladis as smoke curls out of his mouth.
"Marry Me," a documentary film by Uli Gaulke and Jeanette Eggert, condenses the first two years of a transcultural marriage.
The documentary played as part of a series called the "Margaret Mead Traveling Film Festival," which features a new movie every Thursday at the Center for the Arts Screening Room and runs through Nov. 10.
"Marry Me" is a strong film that questions the notion that Cuban women marry foreign men specifically for their money and visa, but also depicts cultural barriers between the atypical bride and groom.
Erik, convinced that he's in love, imports himself a Cuban bride. In doing so, he na??vely overlooks the unavoidable differences between him and his new wife, or rather, the differences between Germans and Cubans.
As Gladis' friend Luisa cynically remarks, "He bought you from Fidel Castro. All Cuban women here are bought."
These are real people exhibiting stunning and candid depth. A white stranger on a Cuban curbside tries to warn Erik of cultural complications.
"These women marry out of pure self-interest. It's like winning the lottery. It's their salvation," he says.
Despite the serious ethnographic conflict, the film provides an ample amount of hysterical relief.
Omarito, Gladis' son, injects his puerile perspective in order to diffuse tension within his new home. He represents the flexibility of culture, and proves that having a sense of humor while facing obstacles is necessary and dignified.
Bruce Jackson, a distinguished professor of American Culture at UB, hosted the screening. He commented on the fragility of the family.
Even on their first Christmas together, "They immediately disintegrate into a brawl," Jackson said.
It must have taken a lot of coaching to appear un-coached because the family demonstrates a perverse immunity towards the prying cameras. However, it is unfortunate when the company of unwanted lenses taints the "pure tension" created solely by Erik and Gladis.
"I wondered whether I was watching real people or actors," Jackson said, "but the kind of documentary that involves getting close to people involves a highly collaborative relationship."
Sarah Eelder, professor of Media Studies at UB, was astonished by the couple's ability to "show themselves beyond their symbols."
Breaking down and reconstructing symbolism is crucial in determining how Erik and Gladis both conform to and defy stereotypes.
Gladis completely forfeits her voice upon moving to Germany, confining her communication through Erik. She cringingly transforms from a Cuban minx to a German housewife.
Erik experiences rude changes as well. His expectations are uprooted as he feels the whiplash of ingratitude, aware that this transcultural experiment has begun to boil over.
Regardless of the extraordinary circumstances of this couple's union, their marital disarray is tragically normal. Disappointment does not discriminate: it's an international plague.
The American Museum of National History's "Margaret Mead Traveling Film and Video Festival" showcases independent cultural documentaries in the United States, and each year selects a small number of titles with which to tour.
The films generally detail human interaction in unusual circumstances or tackle sensitive cultural issues. Next week's film "Afghanistan Unveiled" explores the Taliban's disturbing influence over the nation's female population. The festival was conceived in 1977 to celebrate the life of renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead.
"Afghanistan Unveiled" will be shown on Sept. 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the CFA Screening Room.
"It's not stuff you can find on television," Eelder said proudly.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
