Tango

How the director of Tango mixes muted light and color with intoxicating dance and the richest Tango music to tell us a message without words? Can the music speak with its rhythm and sound?

               In the start of the film, the director uses the rich Tango music and dance to show the jealousy that Mario has for the man that Laura is now living with. Mario clearly cares for Laura very much and he is envious of the way she is able to dance with her new lover, and disappointed in himself that due to his accidents, he is unable to move and dance like he once was able to. Later in the film, the director uses color to show Mario’s emotions. For example, during Elena’s audition when everyone else is dress in neutrals and blacks, Elena is in all red to show Mario’s attention and interest in Elena, which later in the film turns into his passion and love for her. Later in the film, the director pairs Elena and Laura up together and depicts Elena in all white to show how Mario views her as pure and innocents, and it depicts Laura in all black, to show how Mario feels betrayed by her. In the end of the film Mario and the others are discussing the lighting of the play and they discuss how they will use dim lighting in the beginning scene of the play to show exile through the ages of the people in Argentina.
Jamie Thomas

El Viaje de Carol

How does she fight against the conventionalism found in this new culture?

               Carol refuses throughout the film to act like a normal teenage girl. She strives to be her own person and is comfortable hanging around the boys and doing the activities that the boys like to do. Also, Carol is from a high class society, and rather than living up to this high class lifestyle, she hangs around lower class children, because she enjoys the things that they do, rather than what her family expects her to do. Also, when those in the community write their distaste for Carol on her house, she shows her grandfather that she does not find this acceptable, and that in her mind and opinion it is not something she is willing to let go and ignore.

How does her American background interfere with her efforts to adapt to the new culture in Spain?

               Carols American background interferes with her fitting in the Spanish culture because even though she attempts to associate with those in this new culture, she is harassed with the fact that she is from America. At times, she uses this to her advantage, and is able to stay out of trouble when she and the boys get caught by the soldiers. Carol tells these soldiers just who she is, and who her family is to make sure that she and the others don’t get into trouble for being somewhere they are not supposed to be. However, Carol is shown how much she is not welcome in this new culture when someone puts graffiti on her house, stating that they are not happy with her presence. Although, still Carol shows her American spirit and strength, that she will not allow this to get her down, and that she does not find it acceptable to leave these harsh words on her home, and her grandfather paints over the graffiti.

Jamie Thomas

Entre Nos

When Marianna’s husband abandons the family and leaves them in a new city, they are forced to start completely over. The family has only been in America for two weeks and they know no one and have absolutely no connections to help them. If they were still in Colombia or somewhere close to it, they would at least be able to rely on family and friends to get through these hard times. However when the family being left for themselves in America, Marianna has to try anything to find money or work. She does not even speak the language, so she often has to rely on her son’s knowledge of English to help communicate with others.  For this to happen the family’s first summer in America, it at first gives Marianna a negative view on the country, because she is from the outside and she cannot find anyone to help her. However, as the film goes on I feel that for the family’s first summer in America it begins to show Marianna that things will possibly work out for her here, and it is possible for her to do it. I don’t feel that this is a typical problem for Americans in similar situations. Single mother in America may face some of the same problems that Marianna’s family does, but there are ways that these mothers are able to get help. More resources are available to single American mothers that are living in poverty, like welfare, mother centers, and soup kitchens that would be able to help support the families. However, Marianna’s family either is not eligible for these benefits, or has no idea that they exist, because she is not from this country. In my opinion, the struggles that Marianna goes through being left by her husband with two small children, in a new country is a much harder and bigger struggle than American single mothers.

Jamie Thomas

The Official Story

Do you think Alicia is able to reconcile her personal thoughts about her suspicions that her daughter is the child of a murdered political prisoner at one point in her life? Explain your reason and discuss in detail your inferred and factual (based on the film) ideas.

               I don’t think Alicia is able to reconcile her thoughts about her daughter’s potential past. As soon as she is visited by her long lost friends, and she relives her experience while being held captive by telling Alicia about the pregnant women that were taken away and returned childless. After Alicia hears these stories it seems to be the only thing that she can think about and she tries desperately throughout the movie to find answers. Unfortunately for Alicia she also realizes that there is a possibility that if her adopted daughter did come from one of these woman that there was a point in which her newborn daughter was in this political prison for a point of time, and I think she has just as hard of a time dealing with that. In the scene of Gaby’s birthday party, I felt that one of the saddest scenes between Alicia and Roberto when they discuss that they don’t even celebrate Gaby’s actual birthday, rather they celebrate the day that Roberto brought Gaby home. I felt this was a hard scene to watch because it shows how little they know about their daughter and how Alicia is helpless to find the answers to these questions, and how Roberto doesn’t want to be involved in Alicia’s hunt to figure out Gaby’s past. I think this struggle between Alicia and Roberto is another reason that Alicia is unable to let go of the idea that Gaby’s mother could have been murdered in a political prison. Alicia knows so little about how Gaby came to them, and Roberto has the information but refuses to tell her everything, and it is so apparent that he doesn’t want to discuss it. Even in the very beginning of the film when the two are at dinner with friends and Roberto’s friends poke fun of how they received Gaby by asking if they were present at the birth, Roberto not only doesn’t stick up for Alicia, but he doesn’t say anything about it on the way home either. It is apparent throughout the film that Alicia longs to have this information and piece the story of her daughter’s life back together and Roberto has no interest in figuring out the story, rather he wants to forget it and move on, but Alicia can’t deal with this.

Jamie Thomas

LIke Water for Chocolate

I enjoyed the film Like Water for Chocolate. I think that it showed how seriously the Spanish culture takes family traditions and how they are and important and respected part of their culture. They are recognized and acceptable in most families without question to if they are truly fair. I feel the traditions in this particular family were ridiculous and unrealistic to expect to be carried to. To expect a young girl to set her life on hold to care solely for her mother simply because she is the youngest is in my opinion a crazy tradition. It doesn’t give that child a chance to live and have her own life, but rather to be a slave to her mother. It is no wonder that in this family all the children leave that mother, because she treats her daughters like objects, rather than children that she actually loves and cares for. Even when the mother’s ghost returns to Tita, she does not mourn the thought that her mother has passed away and that she misses her. Rather, she wants even for her mother’s ghost to leave her alone because even from the afterlife her mother is once again trying to control her life.

Motorcyle Diaries

During this amazing trip Ernesto Guevara was prepared to become the leader of the revolution in Latin American, particularly in Cuba.

What scenes of the film display experiences that possibly helped shape his personality as a future leader?

               The first scene that I saw Ernesto as a leader was when he and Alberto met the couple that was forced to leave everything behind and look for work. Ernesto talks about this experience in a letter to his mother and discusses how these hardships of others make him feel closer to the human race. Following this meeting Ernesto and Alberto watch these people struggle to find work, and when they are hand-picked by the way they look, Ernesto gets very upset and angry for those that are not given the opportunity to work. Ernesto shows qualities of a good leader throughout the movie. He cares very much for the human race, and wants only the best for everyone. He offers his services as a doctor to many throughout his journey, and although he does not always have the best people skills, he tries to ensure the best outcome for all.

What are the main differences in celebration traditions between the United States of America and the Spanish speaking world?

               Both cultures have celebrations in the same style with music, food, and alcohol in the hopes for everyone to have a good time. The Spanish speaking world has more dancing and singing centered in their traditions than American, but both cultures celebrate similarly.

El Mariachi

Are you able to identify common Mexican stereotypes in the film?

               There are several stereotypes that are presented throughout the film. The stereotypical “Mexican” look of a thick black mustache and curly black hair is the look of all the main male characters in the film. The violence associated with feuding Mexican drug gangs is the entire plot in the movie, and it is exaggerated through the gun violence running crazy throughout the street.

Is the bandito-violence commonly associated with Mexican culture?

               Bandito-violence and the “Mexican drug cartel” are commonly associated with the Mexican culture. However, in this film I feel that the violence is exaggerated. The shooting scenes in the street, running with large guns throughout the town, and the random killing I feel is not how the violence within these gangs is actually how these scenes depict it. The violence that these gangs are associated with is much more organized and set targets are marked, not a random description that can be associated with several people within the town.

Who is the Mariachi and what is his purpose in life?

               The Mariachi is an icon of Mexican tradition, which travels from town to town to do what they love, play music to entertain people. It shows the importance of the cultures traditions, and the dedication these people have to doing what they are passionate for.  The Mariachi musician gives his all for his music, he wanders from town to town just looking for a place where new groups of people can enjoy his music and where he can have the opportunity to meet new people and have new experiences. The Mariachi represents how passionate people in Mexico are about their traditions and how they love and embrace their culture and their family’s traditions.

Is the role of music important in the film? How? Why?

               The role of music was important in this film, because it depicted how the scene was supposed to feel. If the scene was full of suspense and mystery the music reflected that, or if the scene involved a lot of violence, the music emphasized that violence. The music was also important because it was as if the Mariachi guitar player was narrating the story through his music and his interpretation of the scenes.