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Reviews
Entre nos (2009)
A Truly Haunting and Moving Film
Entre Nos shows a haunting and eye-opening depiction of living as a poor immigrant in America. The film is shown from the perspective of Mariana, the mother of two children. She fights through poverty, moral struggles, and heartache. For example, her husband leaves her and the kids at New York to fend for themselves while he starts a new life in Miami. This event triggers the future events of the film.
As the film progresses, the viewer sees the family slip deeper and deeper into poverty. The family's clothes become mangled and dirty because the family is homeless for some parts of film. The pain that is seen from Mariana becomes difficult to watch as the movie keeps going. The viewer may start feeling discomfort and sadness from watching the family sacrifice their lifestyle and safeties they had. The film further shows the struggles that immigrants have in the US in adjusting to culture and finding opportunities to work. Mariana spends weeks trying to find a job and developing skills necessary needed to work. Her lack of work experience and the father leaving show a fight to survive and succeed similar to The Pursuit of Happiness.
The acting by the children in the movie is fantastic. While many child actors may come off as cheesy and playful, the performances by Sebastian Villada and Laura Montana come across as sincere and realistic. They are forced to act as children who must grow up and become responsible which they do marvelously.
Overall, this movie is superbly well done. Paola Mendoza does a great job depicting her mother's story to provide for her children. Anyone hoping to see a different perspective of poverty on a misunderstood minority group must see this film. Entre Nos will inspire and haunt you at the same time.
Como agua para chocolate (1992)
A tale of love, culture, and independence
Like Water for Chocolate is a sensual, tragic, and cultural joy to watch. The story follows a Mexican family that is run by a tyrannical mother. Tita, the story's protagonist, is in search of finding love; however, her mother does everything she can to stop her from meeting that goal. It isn't until Tita finally rebels against her mother that she can be free to love someone without consequence. Alfonso Arau does a wonderful at capturing Mexican culture and their food. In many scenes, one can see the labor and love that Tita put into making her meals. Furthermore, when seen in Spanish, the movie does a wonderful job showing the emotion and feelings of the characters. When Tita tells her mother that Pedro is interested in marrying her, her mother strikes her down with such force that pains the viewer to witness. However, the same cannot be said for the English dubbing; it is done awfully. The voice overs do not sound believable in the least bit. When Pedro yells "I love you!" to Tita, it sounds comical and inappropriate for the situation they're in.
Furthermore, the film is edited in a way that makes it look like an older Mexico. Colors are toned in sepia, allowing for a more ancestral look dating back to how Mexico looked in the early 1900s. In addition, a clash is seen in traditional Mexican and the need for passionate love. We see this when Rosaura and Tita clash over Pedro. Rosaura believes that Tita is no good for her lust of Pedro. Pedro also happens to be Rosaura's husband. The fight between the two shows a continuing struggle for passionate, furious love versus traditional, conservative standards that appear safe. The movie itself appears to be authentic. The characters are dressed mainly in dresses and older styled clothing that emulates older culture that Mexico once knew. Also, the setting takes place in a Mexican home that is seen without many modern luxuries. Their lives are simple but complicated at the same time.
This film is not meant for people with short attention spans. To appreciate this movie fully, one must immerse themselves into the movie and feel what the characters are feeling. This most certainly is not action packed. If you're a fan of other cultures and are interested in learning about other traditional Mexico, then this movie is for you.