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