Tango- Jenna Schira

This was a very interesting film to screen! I enjoyed all the dancing, and music. There wasn't much talking, but you feel the emotion through the song and dance. It was a new,  but great way to learn about this culture. I loved the ladies dark hair and complextion and their long flowing skirts that looked so pretty when they danced. The dim light made it very intimate, since this type of dancing is very sexual. It was neat to watch how the lighting made it easy just to see their profile and focus in on each dance step.
You could tell by the dance steps, the speed of the dance, the music and facial expressions how serious the tango is. These people are talking through their dancing! I wish I could do that!
The only confusing part about this movie was when Mario starting day-dreaming. At first I thought it was part of the movie, but then reazlied those were just his ideas. The scene when the military men were taking the women was very powerful, it was easy to follow what was going on with no voice. This was a very sad time period for Argentina.
I liked this moive and how it protrayed the message without much talking. The tango must be hard to learn, but we see that it is taught at a very young age.

Volver

This film was very powerful as it showed a tribute to women. All the women in the moive were on their own and look how they supported themselves, none of them needed a man. They had jobs, and were very hard working. Raimunda was so creative with that resturant and did what she had to do to make it work, and what a success it ended up being. She had went through so much, starting from when she was a child being raped by her father and getting pregnate,  to her husband trying to rape her own daughter. There was so much stress and difficulity, yet she rose above it. It also show the same thing happening to her mother, and both of these awaful husband were killed. Her sister was the same way, making a great living by having a salon in  her home, no man. This film also makes the men of this culture look like pigs. Not only did they cheat and leave their wives, they were sexually abusive. To see the women carry on the way they do was amazing to watch.
Two supperstitious beliefs in the film were how this villiage belives once one dies, they come back as a ghost. The two sisters thought Irene had died and came back a ghost and were able to communitcate with her, when Irene wasn't really dead at all.
The other belief was that you get your grave stone before you die and do the up-keep on all them in the cemetary to keep the dead village people at peace while they were dead. You can tell how the younger peolple (Raimunda's daughter) thought that was weird.

Entre Nos- Jenna Schira

This moive is very sad, however, it is very powerful! When Mariana's husband suddenly leaves her and her two kids, it is heartbreaking. I also think it is very confusing as to why he left her. In the begining of this film, they seem to be getting along when they are playing cards and eating with friends. The movie also shows Mariana was pregnant, so they were obviously still intimate. After Antonio leaves, the famiy is at great hardship. Mairiana doesn't have a job, and has two kids to support. Neither of them are in school and the end up homeless and hungry. I couldn't imagine living the way they were, no where to sleep, nothing to eat or clean clothes to wear. Mariana tries many different ways to make money for her family buy cooking food to sell (empandas) and collecting cans. It is enough to get them a couple nights in a hot dirty hotel.

During this most difficult time the three of them grow much closer and really learn a lot about one another. Gabi, at such a young age tries to take over as the man in the famiy when Mariana was ill. Him and Mariana take on a special relationship because he is the older child and have more mature conversations when Andrea is asleep. Mariana can share more things with him, it shows how smart and grown up Gabi is.

This is not a typical issue for American mothers. If they were left behind, jobless with children, the US has many programs and government aid to support them until she could get a job. This film really shows the strength and bond between this faimly. As if things couldn't get worse, Mariana turns out pregnat and has an abortion. They couldn't being going through anything worse.

The Official Story

This movie left so many unanswered questions it was upsetting that it ended with everyone wondering. I think it was a very sad movie and it was hard to watch Alicia go through this struggle about Gabby. You could see it on her face when her best friend was telling her that horrifying story. From that point on, she was not the same and could not get it off her mind. She hinted around to many different people, seeing if they knew anything. She cried at some points thinking about her suspicions, but never really belted out how she felt. It was clearly ruining her marriage and the relationship with her best friend.
I think the reason Alicia struggles so much in deciding what to do, is because she wants the best for Gabby. Does she do the right thing, and try to find Gabby's birth parents, and believe what that lady is saying and she is her grandmother? Or does she keep protecting her, knowing that her and her husband are raising her properly and giving her the best life she can have? This film keeps us in anticipation of what happens.

Jenna Schira

Like Water for Chocolate

This movie brought to my attention the the tradition of having the youngest daughter not marry until the mother dies so she can take care of her. That seems to be like a very old and outrageous tradition. Something like this would never happen this day and age nor would it happen in America. I also think that they way the family handled the situation would be totally different then how it would be handled now. Tita hid her feelings as her sister married the love of her life, as she had no other option. I know that in my family, that would not happen and we learn to speak our feelings. They didn't open up to each other until the end of the film.
I can tell you that, I have an older sister and I got married before her. When I told her I was engaged she wasn't happy, actually she was crying to me about it. In my head I was thinking, what an old tradition. Who cares who gets married first, if I'm in love I am not going to wait around. Unlike the movie, my sister and I talked about this situation right away until we were both happy and understood each other. I feel like families weren't as close about personal topics back then and in that culture.
This movie also showed a lot of magic realism. In one instance, Tita was able to make food that would change things in people, like crying, vomiting, and sexual feelings. Another couple of scenes showed Tita's dead mother coming back as a ghost and was talking to her and fighting with her. In the movie this seemed very real, but knowing that this is not possible in real life.

El Mariachi

It is easily able to identify common Mexican stereotypes in this movie. For instance, "macho" gang members (bandido-violence), dark skinned men driving around piled in old beat up trucks, having long dark haired women around them, smoking frequently, drinking the beer "corona", and having dark hair and mustaches. This is a great movie to discuss Mexican traditions and a common day to day life of a Mexican.
I think that yes, bandido-violence is commonly associated with the Mexican culture, but it is different from what I think about when I think of the Mexican culture. I think of hard working manual labor, working in a field, building houses, sweating outside or a bunch of them crammed in a truck, not going around with machine guns shooting random people. I might not have known that about Mexican's though, but that is not one of the first things that pops into my head.
The "Mariachi" was the main character in the movie, going from bar to bar in a new city to try and get a job singing and playing his guitar. His purpose in life was to take after his father, grandfather and all of his ancestors to be a great singer and guitar player known as a Mariachi. That's what it means when he says "All he wants to be is a Mariachi.

I believe the role of music in a movie is very important. It is a way to let the audience know when something big will happen or when a scene or theme is changing. It can make or break a movie.

Machuca

The interaction between Pedro and Gonzalo is pretty amazing. These two boys come from complete opposite family styles and were able to meet in class when the were forced to sit next to one another. I feel that they really needed each other and had similar likes and personalities. Even though Gonzalo was wealthy, he lacked the loving family that Pedro had, his father was mostly worried about his job and money, while is mother was having a love affair. Pedro lacked the nice things Gonzalo had, but lived with many family members. This made them a great match. There were many distinctions between the two social classes. Pedro came from an unfortunate family without many things, he wore the same sweater a lot with a hole in it, and lived in a small community in a beaten up shack. Gonzalo was rich, had many clothes, "adidas" shoes, wore a nice uniform to school and lived in a nice house. However, the boys ended up loving to hang out, ride bikes, share milk, and read.

We were easily able to see the differences between the social classes of the rich and poor in Chile. Just by looking at the two different neighborhoods each boy lived in, the cars they drove, clothes they wore and the outrage in church once they combined the classes into one school. The different opinions by a rich mother and poor mother. One saying, "We shouldn't mix pears and apples," and the other stating, " When will things change, can't we get along and just be different." This movie made the two different classes very clear to see the difference.

The main message of this film was to show us how tough it was in the 70's in Hispanic culture. The government was outrageous and there was no consistency. I can't imagine not only being an adult during this time, but for a child it had to be even more difficult. Especially while trying to go to school just to learn. Pedro and Gonzalo tried very hard to keep their friendship, but with the military government, it was impossible. It was very interesting watching this movie, because we could see first hand what it was like during this time, just hearing about it does not do a justice. Today when the government is going through changes, we can read and watch it, but never actually experience this hardship. There are poor and rich families today in our society, but it does not effect us to that extent. It really makes you appreciate Pedro and Gonzalo's friendship, knowing it was very hard for them to defend themselves.

Under the Same Moon

1. Rosario left her son Carlitos in Mexico with granny to try and make a better life for herself and her son. She wanted to be able to make more money to support her family by having a good paying job. She knew she could trust granny to take good care of her son and protect him while she was gone. Rosario was able to send Carlitos nice gifts while working in LA, along with enough money that would take care of him without her there. Rosario would also gain more knowledge being in the US that would benefit Carlitos in his future.
2. Yes, it was very difficult for Rosario to leave Carlitos behind because she clearly shows so much love for him. The film shows her crying on the phone while they talk, her willingness to marry Paco to get the papers even though she knew it wasn't the right thing to do, and Rosario was also risking her life living in the US illegally.  Many times Rosario considers leaving LA and going back to Mexico because she misses Carlitos so much.
3. Carlitos faced many problems living away from his mother. It was very stressful not having his mother there to raise him, and having the normal mother son relationship. It showed many times how upset Carlitos was without her, this made living day to day very hard because he was always sad. From time to time Carlitos had trouble trusting people because he felt betrayed, not only did his mother leave, but he never met his father. This is all a lot of stress on only a 9 year old. Rosario was also very upset living away from Carlitos, she felt guilty. She missed seeing Carlitos and watching him grow and change. It was hard for her not only to be away from her son and family, but to work her fingers to the bone for people who didn't treat her very well.
4. A mother in the US would normally not have to make a decision like this, but from what this movie shows, Mexican families have a stronger bond. A mother in the US would probably not work this hard and risk her life for her son and family. Mexican families normally live with several family members in close quarters and support each other. They do not have the same luxuries as families in the US so they work together to make it in life.