Tango

The director of the film Tango uses light, color, dance, music, rhythms, and sounds to tell a story without using words.  The power of dance really shines in this film.  The majority of the film does not include speech, rather music and dancing to tell the story.  When two people are dancing together, the rhythm of their bodies in synchronization with the music and with each other is amazing.  I found the scenes with just two people (or three as is the case in the scene with Laura and Elena performing the trio) rather than a group to be the most intense because of how intense the dance was.  In addition to the dancing and music, the lighting helps to tell the stories as well, from switching from dark to light and back to dark, or several colors on one stage to set the mood.  In this movie, the music and dancing definitely make it possible for the viewer to know what is happening in the scene, and no speaking is necessary.  That in itself is amazing!

The scene in which the military men are dominating the people on stage was a little confusing me until I researched the history of the military years in Argentina.  This scene was really powerful in showing how intense the times were when the military picked up people who then "disappeared" and young children were taken from their families.  It was interesting how Angelo and the others tried to tell Mario that this particular scene was too harsh and needed "softened" a bit.  It was obvious that Mario felt very strongly about this part in history because of how intense he made the scene.  He even said "This is my conception of the show."

El Viaje de Carol

In this movie, the main character, Carol, is a young girl whose mother is from Spain and her father is American.  She moves to Spain with her mother.  Many times in the movie, Carol fights against the conventionalisms in the new culture.  An example of this is when she continues to wear the types of clothes that she chooses, and doesn't change her style to that of the other kids around her.  She wears her "tom-boyish" attire, like her bib-overalls and keeps her hair cut short.

She insists on wearing a sailor outfit for her first communion instead of the outfits that the rest of the girls do.

Carol is very mature for her age and knows what she wants and how to get it.  She tends to use the "You promise?" and "On one condition…" approach to get her way, especially with her grandfather.  Carol was free-spirited and used to doing her own thing.  She wasn't going to let anyone change her or force her to do something she didn't want to do.  When she put her mind to something, she did it, like writing letters to her father so he wouldn't worry, or bringing Tomi home to meet her father, even though her grandfather told her it may be dangerous to do so.  I wonder if Carol felt any guilt when Tomi was killed. 

  

Volver

This film is considered a tribute to women and their resilience in the face of life's most outrageous tribulations.  Each woman portrayed in the movie was supporting herself without the help of a man.  Sole even had her own salon business out of her home.  They had many events in their life that would have made a lot of people breakdown, but they all seemed to just get stronger each time they went through another tough time in their lives.  Raimundo dealt with abuse as a child, then an abusive husband.  She mothered a child by her own father, and then had to deal with that child killing her husband.  Not only did Raimundo not seem to bat an eye at the murder, she easily was able to compose herself and cover it up.  The other women in the film also were strong-willed.  Raimundo's mother dealt with a cheating husband, and then lived her life in hiding after she killed him.  Raimundo and her mother were able to call a truce after many years of holding grudges.  Aunt Paula passed away and Augustina was diagnosed with cancer.  It seemed that all the women joined together and supported each other throughout their tragedies.

There were many superstitious beliefs in this movie.  Most apparent was the village people believing in the spirits and being convinced that Irene had come back from the dead to care for Paula.  Also, they cleaned the graves and even had their own graves before they were dead and kept those clean too.

Entre Nos

In the film Entre Nos, a young woman's husband abandons her and their two children a few weeks after they move to the United States.  He basically leaves her with nothing but an apartment on which he has not kept up with the rent payments, so she eventually loses that as well.  Once her husband leaves, Mariana shows what an extremely determined, hard-working, and courageous woman and mother she is.  She refuses to succumb to despair and disappointment.  She continues to care for her children, physically and emotionally, in the best way she is able.  The saddest part of the movie for me is when Mariana has to make the decision to get rid of the child she is pregnant with.  She couldn't have been in a more unfortunate situation, yet she pushes through and continues to keep her family together and provides for them as much as she can.  It is very inspiring to see how Mariana and her children pull together and collect cans to earn money to live.  Even more inspiring is that this is a true story.

In the United States, unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a father or husband to leave his family.  However, most American women are aware of the help that is provided by the government for single mothers so they are not forced to wander the streets and live homeless. 

The Official Story

At the beginning of the film, Alicia seems to live a pretty comfortable, carefree life.  That is until she starts to look into the idea that her adopted daughter may very well be a child of one of the many women who were murdered political prisoners.  Though Alicia's inquiry about Gaby's adoption is sparked by her own interest, she quickly begins to feel a sorrow and sympathy for the many women she discovers were tortured and may have lost their children.  She has a very hard time accepting that she may have been a part of this catastrophe, and she refuses to believe Roberto when he says it doesn't concern her.

When Alicia consistently presses her husband with questions about the details of the adoption, this shows how concerned she is with the situation and the possibility that Gaby is the daughter of one of the women that "disappeared".   Also, she shows her intrigue and concern surrounding the murders that are going on in Argentina that she been so naive to by how emotional she becomes in several different scenes.  At the end of the film, when Alicia leaves her husband and the keys in the door, it is inferred that she is not coming back.  This also is inferred when Gaby is shown in her grandmother's rocking chair, the same way Alicia had mentioned waiting for her parents  at her grandparents house when she was a little girl.  It makes the viewer wonder what ultimately is going to happen to Gaby.  Is Alicia going to come back for her daughter?  Will Gaby end up being left at her grandparent's house just like Alicia was?

Like Water for Chocolate

This movie was based around what some may call a "ridiculous" family tradition.  Tita, being the youngest child, was expected to never marry and take care of her mother until her death.  It was just expected and everyone went along with it.  Even though her mother saw how much pain in caused Tita, she didn't seem to care in the slightest.  I think her mother just didn't care about Tita in any aspect, especially when it came to the family tradition.  The other characters in the film, like Tita's sister, Rosaura, seemed to just really be trying to follow tradition.  Rosaura knew that Tita was very unhappy, but upholding the family tradition was more important to her than her own sister's happiness.  Nacha went along with the tradition because she was not really in any position to oppose it.  However, it was obvious from her relationship with and support of Tita that she thought it was absurd.  As for Pedro, Tita's "soul-mate", it was stunning how much he went along with the tradition though emotionally torturing himself and Tita by doing so.  Tita's other sister, Gertrudis, was on the same page as Tita, but instead of speaking her opinion she just distanced herself from the situation.  This movie really shows how strong the Hispanic family traditions are and how seriously they are taken.
I have grown to not really care either way about American traditions.  I respect how others feel about them, but I tend to not follow those that many of my friends and family do.  I can't imagine how helpless Tita must have felt not being able to voice her opinion about not being allowed to wed.  It was obvious it was tearing her up inside, but because of the family bonds and dedication to tradition, she remained silent for so many years, and was absolutely miserable all the while.

Motorcycle Diaries

There were many scenes in the film that displayed experiences that would prepare Ernesto to become the leader of the revolution in Latin America.  He saw a lot injustices while on his journey with his friend through South America.  From the mine workers being displaced from their land to the lepers who were forced to live across the river from their caretakers, Ernesto was really touched by these experiences.  Also, once "The Mighty One" broke down and he and Mial were forced to travel by foot, Ernesto and his friend were able to see what it was like to struggle and try to survive with little money and little food, and also Ernesto having to struggle with his asthma on a daily basis. Ernesto seemed to have a great appreciation and admiration for the less fortunate and had a place in his heart that yearned to see to it that they were given a better life.

In the United States, our celebrations are most always with close friends and family, people with whom we are familiar.  From this movie, the Spanish speaking world doesn't seem to care if the person is a long-time friend or not, they are still treated that way.  Ernesto had his birthday celebrated as if he had known these people for years.  While the celebration was similar to what a birthday celebration would be like in the US with the cake and the singing, the fact that he was surrounded by so much love and caring by people who he had only known for a few weeks would be rather unusual to see in the US.

El Mariachi

There were several common Mexican stereotypes in the film.  The way that Azul always asked for a bottle of beer portrays the stereotype that the Mexican men are macho.  Also, there was the stereotype of the men wearing thick mustaches, mullets, and gold chains.  Also, there was the stereotype of Mexican women being under the control of the men and treated as lesser beings. 

The bandido (gangster) violence is commonly associated with Mexican culture.  This includes the drugs, aggressiveness, and hunger for power.   There are many American movies that portray the Hispanic culture this way, wrapped up in drug crimes and extreme violence.

The statement: "All he wants is to be a Mariachi" refers to the struggle that the Mariachi endured when he arrived in the small Mexican town.  The Mariachi was a young man who was following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather who had also been mariachis.   He wanted to gain different experiences "traveling from city to city" performing with his guitar and singing. He came to that town looking for work as a singer and musician, but found himself in over his head involved in the middle of a feud between drug lords and criminals.  All he wanted to do was share his talented gift of music with the people around him.  He definitely struggled to do so given the circumstances that were out of his control.  

The role of music is extremely important in this film and in Hispanic culture in general.  Not only did the Mariachi live his entire life devoted to music, the music that was a part of the film influenced the overall feel as well.  Music actually saved the mariachi's life when he was in Domino's room.  She had a knife to his throat and whether or not she decided to kill him was based on his ability to prove his was indeed a mariachi and not a gangster.  The music he played on his guitar and his soothing singing voice captivated Domino and she decided he was truly a mariachi.  It was also seen through this film how important music is in the Hispanic culture.  Each character had an appreciation for, or at least recognized the power of the mariachi.

Machuca

The interaction between Gonzales and Pedro was a very interesting one.  They came from two different worlds in which their role models had completely different perspectives on life, yet they were able to form a bond and a friendship that was so intense.  When Gonzales defends Pedro and fights off the bullies at school, Pedro and Gonzales begin their friendship.  Both boys are very aware of the differences in their families and general way of life, but that does not keep them from having fun together and sticking by each other.  It is obvious to each boy that the way they live is very unlike the other, this is easily demonstrated by Gonzales' reaction of disgust and shock about the outhouse that Pedro's family uses and by Pedro's excitement and awe about Gonzales' bountiful wardrobe and his Adidas shoes.  Each boy also feels the line of division of social classes, Gonzales always being called "snob" and Pedro being picked on by Gonzales' sister's boyfriend.  However, it seems in a way that the boys dive into this friendship as a way to also escape their own troubles within their lives.  Gonzales disapproves of his mother's affair, and Pedro comes from a world lacking even the necessities.  The two boys are able to enjoy each other's company and for short periods of time are able forget about the turmoil taking place in their homes and within their societies.   The difference between the rich and the poor in Chile was very obvious.  Gonzales' family represented the "rich", with their nice house, plethora of clothing, and abundance of food.  Pedro's family represented the "poor", with their run-down shack, outhouse, and scarce food and clothing.   I really feel that there are two main messages portrayed in this film.  The first is the demonstration of how extreme and detrimental the divisions in society can be on a country and it's population.  This film shows how severe the tension and turmoil was in Chile.  I also feel that a huge message in this film was the idea that people are capable of being close and having a bond despite how different their lives may be.  Ultimately though, the divide between the social classes in Chile made it dangerously impossible for the two young boys to continue their friendship. Another message in this movie that really touched me was what Father McEnroe preached throughout the entire movie-respect one another.  He was one of my favorite characters.  He worked so hard because he believed so deeply that people should treat others with kindness and respect, regardless of race, social status, intelligence, etc.

"Under the Same Moon"

Rosario chose to leave her son, Carlitos, in Mexico with his grandmother while she lived and worked in Los Angeles for four years.  She wanted to give her son and her mother a better life, so she moved to where she would be able to earn a living and sent the money back to Mexico to help her family.

Rosario made the decision to live and work in the United States for very unselfish reasons.  She wanted to provide for her son and did so the best way she knew how.  This movie showed that it was extremely difficult for Rosario to be away from her son.  From the weekly phone calls from a pay phone, in which she fought back tears, to not seeming to ever really allow herself to enjoy life because she was always so sad about being away from her family.  

Carlitos faced many problems being away from his mother.  He went through many different emotions as he tried to understand exactly why his mother couldn't be with him, from anger to heart-wrenching sadness, and extreme courage and determination.  After his grandmother died, Carlitos faced a new problem of not really having a place to call home, which was probably one of the reasons he decided to make the trip across the border in search of his mom.  

It is hard to say whether a mother in the United States would make the same choice that Rosario did.  A mother would obviously not need to cross the border, but more likely she may need to move across several states to find work.  I don't really think many mothers in America would go to the extreme that Rosario did to provide for her son.  It's hard to make a generalization about all mothers in the US, because there really is such a broad range in how mothers in this country act and care for their children and families.