Vivien Lesnik's childhood was anything but ordinary. Born in Havana, Vivien came to Miami as a girl. In America, bombings, death threats and drive-by shootings were a daily occurrence at Vivien's new home. The catalyst for this violence was Vivien's father, Max. A friend and comrade of Fidel Castro, Max Lesnik left Cuba after ideological differences put distance between him and Castro's government.

In Miami, Max Lesnik opposed both the Cuban regime and U.S. Cuba policy. In print and on the radio, he advocated open debate and, in time, dialogue and reconciliation with Cuba. Max Lesnik defied the political orthodoxies of Miami's Cuban exile community and found himself, his family and his little girl at the storm center of Cuban exile politics.

Vivien Lesnik grew up to become filmmaker Vivien Lesnik Weisman. The Man of Two Havanas is her controversial and poignant exploration of her father's fascinating story and her quest to understand her roots, her family, and the social and political currents that swirled around them.