"7 days eventually feels like 7 months..."

The premise to 7 Days in Havana is intriguing as it features seven short films, each by a different director, set on each day of one singular week, all taking place in the Cuban capital. Yet any such innovation soon leads to utter tedium, as 7 days eventually feels like 7 months.

There is a host of talent behind the scenes, featuring a certain Benicio Del Toro making his directorial début, and he is joined by the an esteemed crew of of film makers such as Laurent Cantet (The Class), Julio Medem (Sex and Lucia) and Pablo Trapero (Carancho). Gaspar Noé, Elia Suleiman and Juan Carlos Tabío making up the rest of the list.

The short films range from a tourist’s (Josh Hutcherson) venture into the Cuban night life, to an affair between a talented musician and a record producer (Daniel Bruhl), to an elderly lady’s desire to build a fountain within her own home, at the request of the Virgin Mary herself. All the stories offering us an insight into Cuban culture, taking a look at Havana from both the inside, and out.

The seven stories do not have a recurring theme or characters (aside from the occasional cameo or two) and as a result feel entirely misplaced and disjointed, bearing no rhythm whatsoever. There is nothing that ties these narratives together, feeling exactly like what it is - seven separate films put together. You could leave this film saying "Well, I loved 2/7ths of it" which is just ridiculous, and also likely to be false. Two is being very, very kind.

There is just absolutely no substance or meaning to anything in this film. You are constantly awaiting that moment that ties the stories together, the "Oh, I get it now" moment, yet you leave empty handed and completely unfulfilled. It's trying to be profound and fails. What do any of these stories mean? What do we gain from them? Nothing. On both counts. They have no plots, no strength in character, and no conclusion. Even Craig David manages to portray a week with more magnitude than this film does. And he chilled on Sunday.

There is one quite engaging short story of a young girl taking part in what appears to be a cult-ritual, yet despite the atmospheric nature to the short film, this is another example of a story with no significance. It's very badly placed also, as the unscripted piece comes directly after another short with no dialogue - making for a highly tedious half an hour.

It also doesn't help that Tabío is the only Cuban director of the lot, and seeing as this is supposedly an insight into the culture and everyday life of Havana, it feels as though it's being presented through the eyes of a tourist, which effectively, it is. It's too stereotypical of what we already perceive Havana to be like, featuring cigars, jazz music and rum, and anything else we associate with the Cuban capital. The only short which benefits proceedings is the first, the Del Toro sketch featuring Hutcherson, the reason being that he is actually a tourist and we are supposed to be seeing Havana from his perspective, so for this one and only time it's justified.

7 Days in Havana is just completely unfulfilling; nothing makes sense and absolutely nothing is gained or achieved. The only redeeming feature is the cinematography, but we need some substance within the narrative to work alongside it. This picture comes out on the same day as The Players - another feature film made up of short films. Now that feature isn't particularly good either, but if you do wish to see a film of such a style, then please choose that one. Or just stay at home and watch paint dry. Either will do.