Skip to content
MovieCove
Juan Carlos Tabío

Juan Carlos Tabío

Director, writer and actor · Died January 18, 2021, aged 77 · Havana, Cuba

Juan Carlos Tabío was a Cuban film director and screenwriter. His film Strawberry and Chocolate, which he co-directed with Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, won a Silver Bear - Special Jury Prize at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival, and was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 3, 1943
Died
January 18, 2021 (aged 77)
From
Havana, Cuba
Works as
Director, writer and actor
Titles
4 on MovieCove · 15 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 24% in 30 days

What are Juan Carlos Tabío's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
34%
Bonds
26%
Power
18%
Self
16%
Ideas
5%
Community2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
3
Contemplative
2
Joyful
1
Hopeful
1
Romantic
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Hopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Juan Carlos Tabío's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Juan Carlos Tabío's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted.

Filmography

15 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page.

  • Oscuros Amores (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Juan Carlos Tabío

  • 7 Days in Havana(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Amor crónico(2012)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Horn of Plenty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Titón: From Havana to Guantanamera, 1928-1996 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    as Interviewee

  • Aunque estés lejos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • The Waiting List (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director · Writer

  • Entangling Shadows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Guantanamera(1995)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Elephant and The Bicycle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Writer

  • Strawberry & Chocolate(1993)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Too Afraid of Life or Splat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director

  • Dolly Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director

  • House Swap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • Up to a Certain Point (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 15 titles from 1983 to 2022.

Biggest box office

Strawberry & Chocolate (1993)

$2.1M worldwide

Highest rated

Strawberry & Chocolate (1993)

Midcredits 91st

Most popular right now

Amor crónico (2012)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 15: 3 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting11 of 15: 7 only directing, 4 with another roleWriting5 of 15: 1 only writing, 4 with another role

15 titles, 4 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1980s4 · crew1990s4 · crew2000s4 · 1 acting · 3 crew2010s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew2020s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Juan Carlos Tabío's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 56th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 4 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 4 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Amor crónico (2012)

73rd percentile spread · 44% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Strawberry & Chocolate (1993)

Midcredits 91st · 80% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 74/100 and the pacing 51/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Juan Carlos Tabío work with?

People who share at least 2 of Juan Carlos Tabío's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jorge Perugorría shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Producers