Like Water for Chocolate

                Magical realism is conveyed well in the movie Like Water for Chocolate. In one scene, Tita breastfed her infant nephew in order to meet his nutritional needs. The milk just “magically” appeared in her breast. Throughout the whole movie, there is a theory about the use of matches and the trigger inside of the human body that lights them. All of these examples of supernatural ideas.

                The family tradition of the youngest daughter not marrying to take care of her mother is outrageous. It was awful to see Tita live the way she did only because she was the last born. Not only was her mother abusive, she wasn’t even able to follow her dreams and marry the man that she longed for.  When Esperanza took off with the man from the revolution, she was disowned by her mother, even to the point where her mother burned all of her memories.

                I really like the use of food throughout the entire movie. I have learned from this class the importance of food in the Hispanic culture, and it is used a lot in the movie. Tita prepared an elaborate meal each day, and often there were uses of “magic” in scenes where people ate the foods that she cooked.  Love was spread though her cooking, and in one scene after eating the food, everyone broke down in tears. It was really fascinating to watch.

                Every week we watch a movie, I think that they get more and more interesting. Every week I think I have a new favorite. This movie, with the use of magical realism, was very fun.

Motorcycle Diaries

               Motorcycle Diaries was a very beautiful film, although technical difficulties hindered the viewing for a majority of the film. I believe that this is one of my favorite movies that we have screened. During the expedition on Ernesto and Alberto, there are many encounters with other individuals in which I believe shaped Ernesto into becoming a future leader. Although their main purpose of the 8,000 kilometer trip seemed to be fun and exploration, they encounter the poverty of many indigenous peasants. In Chile, the pleasure travelers encounter a couple forced onto the road because of their communist beliefs. The pair also followed a couple to the mine and Ernesto become angry when he witnessed how the workers were being treated. While in Peru volunteering for three weeks at a colony, the pair witnessed the extreme division in society. These are only a few examples from the movie, but these encounters with social injustice are what transformed Ernesto’s view of the world.

                There were a few similarities and differences between the celebration viewed in this film and transitions in the United States. During Ernesto’s birthday party, the most noticeable difference was the fact that so many people gathered to celebrate his birthday, despite the fact that he had only been around for a matter of weeks. The food, cake, and dancing were present during the celebration is similar to that of a celebration in the United States.

El Mariachi blog

                There are many common Mexican stereotypes identified in the film El Mariachi.  First of all, the “macho” men were usually in groups, with good looking women catering to them. The violence and weapons could be classified as a stereotype.  The bandido-violence is commonly associated with the Mexican culture because of the drug and weapon cartel that they have become known for here in the United States. Movies like this portray violence that may or may not be exaggerated.

                The “Mariachi” in the film states “all I wanted was to be a mariachi like my ancestors.” His whole life revolved around his guitar and finding money to do what he thought he was born into. He wanted to follow the footsteps of his past generations, even though it appeared to be getting him nowhere in life. He felt that his purpose was to dedicate his life to singing for entertainment.

                The role of music is very important in this film. The whole film is based around this “mariachi’s” way of life. He fights for his life to do what he loves. He dreamed and lived it every day. The music played in the movie was also very significant. Every scene lead up to the next with some type of “spooky” background music. When the Mariachi was in the scene, whether he was playing his guitar or not, the music was usually very light. When Moco, for example, was a part of the scene, the “spooky” music once again played.

Machuca Film Review

In the movie Machuca, Gonzalo and Pedro form a very unlikely friendship, one that causes constant pressure on these young children lives. My first thought about the friendship between these two boys is that they need each other. Gonzalo is a very lonely kid, longing to find acceptance. Pedro is a “lower class” citizen in their culture, and he longs for the acceptance of kids like Gonzalo. Their friendship seems to also form from curiosity. They each wonder what the other’s life consist of. Gonzalo lived a rich, sheltered life and Pedro lived a wildly complicated, poor life. Also, Gonzalo’s mother is having a love affair with a wealthy older man. His father is sweet but ineffectual, and lacks the fire to fight for his marriage. He therefore escapes into his friendship with Pedro. Although they obviously notice the distinction of class, it seems as though they ignore it way more than adults would in this situation. The longing for acceptance in both of their lives seems to outweigh the social differences.

The differences between the two social classes were very obvious. One scene, Pedro noticed the Adidas shoes that Gonzalo owned while visiting his home and was over excited. This scene made it very clear that items like a pair of shoes were a luxury never experienced by Pedro. When Gonzalo accepted the ride home from Pedro in the first part of the movie, he was unaccepted by Pedro’s family. He was called a “snob” along with other names dividing their social classes.

In my opinion, the main focus of this movie is the moral test that these children endure during a time in Chile when the government is in an uproar. Their friendship ultimately becomes impossible to bridge. During the uproar in the church when the parents were disputing the priest’s decision to accept the “poor” kids into the school, one mother made the comment “you cannot mix apples and pears.” This comment makes it very clear that these “upper class” citizens feel that are above families like Pedro’s. Both families should value each other as equal citizens of the country, but unfortunately that is not the case.