Quinceanera
This charming little film won several awards at this year's Sundance film festival. A Quinceanera is a celebration (in the Latin community) for girls when they reach fifteen years of age. It is supposed to be spiritual but it many times becomes something very showy and materialistic (like many other celebrations these days).
Magdelena (Emily Rios) is almost fifteen and is anticipating her Quinceanera. She would love to have an elaborate celebration like her cousin but her religious father wants something more simple. But before her celebration she finds out that she is pregnant. She can't understand how this has happened since she and her boyfriend fooled around but didn't go all the way. Technically she is a virgin. You can only imagine what her father thinks of this. She goes to live with her uncle Tomas (Chalo Gonzalez) who also houses her cousin Carlos (Jesse Garcia). Carlos was thrown out of his house by his father because he is gay.
Tomas has lived in this house with his two dogs for 28 years and eeks out a living by selling food from a stand. He is an open and accepting man (and my favorite character in the film). Carlos befriends an upscale gay couple who bought the neighboring house and the land that Tomas's house is on (perhaps a little to friendly with one of them). However, after a while the landlords give Tomas notice and tell him that he has to clear out in 30 days.
The film is written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. They do a nice job of showing us this Latino community in Los Angeles (Echo Park to be exact) and introducing us to the Quinceanera celebration. The film also deals (though not as much as I would have liked) with the effects of gentrification which is an epidemic in most major cities in the US. I would love to see a film where the effects of gentrification is the main theme.
Although I liked this film (and it is hard not to like it) I feel that it is another film that was overpraised by the critics (91 % on Rotten Tomatoes!). The acting is okay but, with the exception of Gonzalez, none of it really stands out. In the end I found Quinceanera a pleasant and enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes and it is no doubt better than the majority of films coming out of Hollywood studios.
Magdelena (Emily Rios) is almost fifteen and is anticipating her Quinceanera. She would love to have an elaborate celebration like her cousin but her religious father wants something more simple. But before her celebration she finds out that she is pregnant. She can't understand how this has happened since she and her boyfriend fooled around but didn't go all the way. Technically she is a virgin. You can only imagine what her father thinks of this. She goes to live with her uncle Tomas (Chalo Gonzalez) who also houses her cousin Carlos (Jesse Garcia). Carlos was thrown out of his house by his father because he is gay.
Tomas has lived in this house with his two dogs for 28 years and eeks out a living by selling food from a stand. He is an open and accepting man (and my favorite character in the film). Carlos befriends an upscale gay couple who bought the neighboring house and the land that Tomas's house is on (perhaps a little to friendly with one of them). However, after a while the landlords give Tomas notice and tell him that he has to clear out in 30 days.
The film is written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. They do a nice job of showing us this Latino community in Los Angeles (Echo Park to be exact) and introducing us to the Quinceanera celebration. The film also deals (though not as much as I would have liked) with the effects of gentrification which is an epidemic in most major cities in the US. I would love to see a film where the effects of gentrification is the main theme.
Although I liked this film (and it is hard not to like it) I feel that it is another film that was overpraised by the critics (91 % on Rotten Tomatoes!). The acting is okay but, with the exception of Gonzalez, none of it really stands out. In the end I found Quinceanera a pleasant and enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes and it is no doubt better than the majority of films coming out of Hollywood studios.
posted by Film Fanatic | 4:14 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home