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Reviews
Besos para todos (2000)
A Fun Coming of Age Film, The Music will take you Way Back
The storyline is very predictable. But I did not watch this film hoping for deep insights or for political reasons. The 60's music in the film is fun and carefree and not serious. Like most coming of age movies "Besos" tends to glamorize and hype teen rebellion. I remember the late 60's as being much more conservative. Most college students were much more serious. But then this is like many such stories that are more about "what I wish I had done and said". I was not in Spain in the 60's, but I was in the US and Mexico and there were characters like those in the film. Life was much more spontaneous because we were all more spontaneous when we were younger. The music is a 10, the story is a 5. I cannot comment on Franco's Spain but others who were there tell me it was harsh. Mexico's government was also harsh and corrupt at the time(and still is-a revolution?), and in the US for certain groups of society it was also harsh and corrupt(Mississippi Burning, Harvest of Shame).
Los pasos perdidos (2001)
An Interesting Argentine Spanish Drama
I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, I just enjoy Spanish drama. But the movie opened with an old man stalking a young woman and so it grabbed my interest right away. He claims to be her grandfather and she is just as certain that he is confused or crazy. She is a kindergarten teacher and suddenly realizes that she cannot remember her childhood before coming to Spain as an infant. She knows that her father and mother are Argentine but knows only that her father is a businessman. When she sees her father's friends and then her father accused of crimes against humanity in Argentine, she agrees to meet with the old man. I thought the lead actress as "Monica" was very good. I enjoyed the history lesson. I enjoyed the quest for justice.
El violín (2005)
A small but powerful movie
I enjoyed this film even though it was disturbing and violent at times. Although it doesn't state in what country this tale is taking place, the characters speak with a Mexican accent. The two main characters, Don Plutarco and the Capitan, were very authentic. I grew up on small ranches and am of Mexican descent and the character of Don Plutarco reminded me of many of the old men I met in the fields, wise but stubborn, acting helpless but always looking to take advantage. The Capitan reminded me of many career soldiers I met in the Army. Cunning and with that ability to see into your soul. Does he see the obvious? Will he take pity on his fellow countrymen? The interplay between the two is like a chess match but one in which the outcome is certain from the beginning. An excellent film.
Harvest of Loneliness (2010)
an emotional yet important film
It was hard for me to watch this film because my father did come to the US as part of the Bracero Program. I knew that the agricultural work was hard and that he was taken advantage of by both the US and Mexican government, but to see and hear the words on film had a much greater impact than just hearing his stories. I grew up in the Central Valley of California in a Labor Camp. I remember working as a child with my parents in the fields. I also remember when the Bracero Program ended and picking lemons in Santa Barbara county as a teenager. Many men could not do the work and those that did could only earn a few dollars a day(we were paid by the box). It was not unusual to work 12 hours to earn only $5(no,it wasn't a lot even in 1964). I don't know if it was a feeling of shame at being poor but I never spoke of this to anyone outside the family. The money that was taken from them, supposedly as a pension was stolen by the Mexican government. I had hoped that my father would get some of the money back during the Reimbursement this year, but the Mexican government put up so many barriers for non Mexican citizens(he became a US citizen in 1965) that he could not obtain the "right" documents in time for the cut off date. This is an important story. My father feels blessed to have been part of the Bracero Program he was hard working and intelligent and was able to send money home to his mother and sister in Mexico and was able to help me attend and graduate from college. Like many immigrants he loves the US and still has deep feelings for Mexico.
The Wild Girl (2010)
The movie is based on "The Wild Girl" by Jim Fergus.
I was extremely disappointed by this movie after reading the book which was loosely based on The Great Apache Expedition or the Fimbres Apache Expedition which began in Douglas, Arizona and then went on to the Sierra Madres in Mexico. In the novel the hero who writes down the story is a teenager, which makes much more sense for the part where he falls in love and marries the Apache girl. The female archaeologist falls in love with the younger Apache scout and this is why she chooses to stay in the Sierras with the wild Apaches. During the story a history of the war between the Mexican and the Apache people is covered as is the history of the war between the United States and the Apache people. This goes a long way to explain the actions of both the Mexican soldiers and the Apache warriors. All this is left out of the movie. Of course the cinematography of the movie and the actors do a credible job with the parts they are given, but again the writing leaves out the parts that made the novel so memorable. Just like the movie "the Wind Talkers" the director wants to make the movie more relevant to the white audience by making the white characters the center of the movie. Personally I would like to tell Hollywood to wake up, there is a large non white audience out there and this is the 21st Century not the 20th.