Death of a Bureaucrat

1966 · directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Rating

85/100

Hit

yes

A model Cuban revolutionary tragically dies at work and, as a badge of honor, is buried with his labor card in his suit pocket. When his widow attempts to apply for his pension, the pension office demands the original labor card. Desperate, his nephew embarks on an increasingly chaotic and surreal quest through the Cuban bureaucratic system to secure permission to exhume the body, only to be met with endless forms, contradictory regulations, and apathetic officials.

Death of a Bureaucrat (1966), directed by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, rates 85/100 — a hit. See how its director, cast and crew rate across their careers.

More from Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

1. Memories of Underdevelopment (1968) — 83/100 · hit
2. Strawberry and Chocolate (1993) — 75/100

How these numbers work: Methodology