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.