The Elephant and The Bicycle

El Isleño returns to La Fe after two years behind bars, and the island he left feels smaller and stricter under the rule of Francisco Gavilán. He brings with him an old cinematograph and, eager to reconnect with his neighbors, sets up a screening of "Robin Hood" that draws a crowd and a moment of collective pleasure. The following morning the bridge linking La Fe to the mainland lies in ruins, cutting the community off. That sudden isolation changes the mood on the island, and conversations that had been simmering move toward action. The film follows how ordinary people, small pleasures, and a single projector intersect with politics and rumor, keeping surprises and outcomes out of view.

Directed by Juan Carlos Tabío and developed with writer Eliseo Alberto, the 1994 film stars Luis Alberto García, Lillian Vega, Raúl Pomares, and Daisy Granados, reflecting a strong ensemble cast from Cuban cinema of the era.

Box office totals for this title aren't widely reported outside festival circuits, and it had a limited international release typical of many Cuban productions of the 1990s, relying more on festival attention than commercial runs.

The movie leans on striking visual motifs, especially the traveling projector and the damaged bridge, to link storytelling with civic life. Those images often come up in discussions among viewers and critics interested in how small, local films portray the power of shared culture under political strain.

Critical responses are mixed, with a 6.2/10 user vote average from a small sample, and reviewers tend to note the film's blend of humor and seriousness. Themes include the civic role of popular entertainment, communal decision making under duress, and the ways ordinary objects can carry political meaning. The tone balances light moments with darker undercurrents, letting character interactions drive the moral and social questions.