The Companion

El Acompañante

Set in 1988 Cuba as the government dispatched HIV patients to AIDS centers under military rule, THE COMPANION narrates the unlikely friendship between a boxing champion and a conflictive patient.

After failing a doping test, Horacio Romero has no other choice but to serve a sentence. His fate is in Los Cocos, a sanatorium under military rule where HIV patients are compulsorily confined, with the exception of a weekly pass to visit their families under the supervision of personal wardens called "companions."

As a "companion," Horacio is supposed to keep an eye on Daniel -the most conflictive patient in the ward- and get him to comply to the regulations. Their interests immediately collide as Daniel is set to spend his last days in freedom and is ready to do anything to make this happen. Horacio, on the other hand, dreams about boxing again to get his champion's status back. For that to happen, however, he must first win this battle outside of the ring...

Winner of the Audience Award at the Miami International Film Festival. Winner of Best Screenplay at the Havana Film Festival. Cuba's Official Entry to the Academy Awards.

"A universal tale of struggles against adversities." - Jonathan Holland, Hollywood Reporter