The Things We Do For Love (Amores Perros Movie Review)

 

 

        Amores Perros , translated as "Love is a Bitch", demonstrates exactly that in this emotional yet action packed drama. The film revolves around the lives of three different individuals who's personal lives are being ruled by love. The unique part about this film is they all involve a dog in their life that influences the story somehow. The movie is actually very captivating as you see the characters and their stories evolve and how they interestingly intersect with the lives of each character. You have the hope filled young Octavio who is helplessly in love with Susana, the wife of his brother, and starts using his dog Cofi as a fighter to earn money to run away with her. Valeria, the beautiful super model, who is involved with a married man Daniel and gets into an accident with Octavio. Last the El Chivo who is an ex teacher gone guerilla who strives to stay away from his daughter who he left as a little girl, but desperately misses. The part I love about this movie the most is that shows that love is not easy, and the extreme sacrifices that people will make for love. We see Octavio, though very very naïve, gives all of his earning to support a life for a women he will never have, El Chivo who lives a life on the streets to avoid coming back into his daughters life which he abandoned to better the world, and Daniel who leaves his wife and child, willingly, to live a life with Valeria who has to live her life knowing she lost the most important thing to her, her beauty. Though I felt the movie could get slow at time, with the searching of Richie, it makes up for it with is surprising connections between the characters and the ironic results the come of each story.  

        The movie I feel also makes the audience think just how far you would go for love? The people we would leave, the actions we are willing to take, and the person that we are willing to become. All of themes are themes that are demonstrated through out the movie. And though it prompts us with the question, it also reminds of how bad love can turn out. In three situations we see examples of how our lives can turn a turn for the worst. Overall I would give Amores Perros an 8 out of 10. Its definitely movie worth watching that will make you think. 

I cannot live life without a father

I cannot live life without a father

 

In the film, La Mission, we find out that the son of a former prisoner and current bus driver's son is gay. The son has many conflicts with his father since the discovery his father made through photographs of the son the night before. The photographs were taken at a gay night club where the son Jesse and his romance partner were dancing and kissing. Che the father of Jesse was disgusted by these photos and could not look at him in the same way since the discovery. Jesse is a good student with hopes of going on to college away from la mission. This street is significant because everyone in the community knows each other. This Chicano community is there for each other like family. The consistency of working on low-rider cars is what really brings this community together as well as the bond for family. Within the Latino culture, being gay or lesbian is a major taboo. Many families alienate their children or banish them like Che did after a confrontation. Jesse knowing that his father wouldn't be able to handle the news of his lifestyle, he decided to hide it from him. Jesse like many Latinos are well aware of the behavior that many people have towards the lifestyle that Jesse is living. A lot of kids are hiding not only from their friends but even more from their families to cover up the hurt or the disgrace that many families tell the child he or she had placed upon them. In the Latino community of La Mission, there is a group of bullies or gangsters that disagree with the way Jesse is going about in his sexual life. The same group hassles the father and later on ends up shooting Jesse when he is seen with his romantic partner. The father is then put under pressure to put aside the lifestyle of his son as he is admitted into the hospital for the wounds that were caused by the shooting. Che was only able to do this for a little of time. He soon again tried to forcefully change Jesse's sexual lifestyle when he is out of the hospital. Many parents like Che have applied extreme measures to have their children change their sexual lives in benefit to save the parents face and that of the family. Many parents don't take into account to listen or to give the son or daughter the opportunity to see them again eye to eye like Che. There is a similarity of hegemony when the parents try to govern their children by having them change their lifestyles without giving them the opportunity to explain why. Many children, teens, and adults to this day are no different to Jesse. They struggle to be able to tell their parents they are gay or lesbian. As well as Che, many parents find it difficult to accept their children for their life styles. This may be because of religion, pride, or simply just because they look down upon the life style of the gay community. With in the Latino community there is a lot of machismo from the father and son side. To see or hear something like the son of a very respected man or very masculine, is a terrible and shameful thing. This is the shame that Jesse's father, Che, felt.

The film used is: La Mission, Directed by: Peter Bratt, Date of release: January 19th, 2009
Photograph is of Che and Jesse being held back by friends of the family during an altercation in the movie.

 

Y Tu Mama Tambien Movie Review

I think this movie, “Y Tu Mama Tambien,” focus on how different social classes can blend together and interact without discriminating each other.  Julio and Tenoch are best friends even though, they have different social status. Julio is a middle class young man that lives in the barrios of Mexico City, in the case of Tenoch, his life is surrounded   by luxuries that his Dad provides to his entire family, and they even have a maid who took care of Tenoch since he was a little kid.

Tenoch’s father is a well known politician from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Although, the PRI governed Mexico for more than 70 years, it came to its own down fault, for all the corruption, and the misunderstandings among them.

The movie starts with Tenoch, and Julio, having sex with their girlfriends. This scene shows a little controversy later on in the movie; sexuality plays a huge role in it.  When Tenoch and Julio girlfriends’ left, to Europe, These young men decided to take a road trip to a little beach Boca Del Cielo which they did not have any idea of where it was located.

Luisa role in the movie is to be the one suffering and try to complete her goal which is to go see the ocean. She found Julio and Tenoch attractive so she decided to travel with then to Boca Del Cielo.

While traveling to Boca Del Cielo, the movie stops several times to focus at the crosses that they see at the side of the road, people that have died for protesting or car accidents. This shows a little bit of what the government has done to its own people. Also, Tenoch realizes that his Nana hometown was affected by all the disputes between campesinos, and the police. This shows why Tenoch’s Nana had to migrate to the capital to get away from all the mistreatments that this people got from the government. Also, she had to work at low pay job, and work herself up for a better pay.

When they got to Boca Del Cielo, the guy driving the boat told them, how this huge hotel chains wanted to privatize the beach, and how it would affect him, his family, and the rest of the residents of Boca Del Cielo. Here this part of the movie, shows how the lower classes are the most affected by the system, in this case the government that allowed this big Hotel chains to destroy the environment by constructing tourist buildings that will only cause more pollution to the waters and the natural resources.

The night the three of the got really drunk, the three of the started some sexual stuff, and at the end of it Tenoch and Julio started kissing each other. This shows how insecure of their sexuality Tenoch and Julio were.

At the end of the movie, Louisa decided to stay in Boca Del CIelo, Tenoch and Julio went back to Mexico City. They stop talking for a while. Then they finally see each other again when the PRI has lost its dictatorship in Mexico. As consequence, Tenoch’s family had to leave the country, live in Europe for more than a year.

In conclusion, this movie, “Y Tu Mama Tambien,” shows how corruption, sexuality, and social classes play a key role within society. Also, how people get affected by it, and the consequences that they have to face at the end of each move the government takes.