Your task in this essay is to select a film - any film except the ones we have screened or that I have shown clips of in class - and write an interpretive analysis of race and representation in this film. Your paper is to be between 5 and 7 double spaced pages in length, with 1-inch margins and using 12pt font.
Quinceañera (2006) is an independent film by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland about a 14-year-old Mexican American girl named Magdalena in Echo Park, Los Angeles. She becomes pregnant through non-penetrative sex, but her Catholic preacher father refuses to accept that and casts her out of his home. Magdalena moves in with her great uncle Tomas and estranged cousin Carlos, who was casted out of the family for being gay. The trio …show more content…
At the same time, she is an innocent girl who respects her parents, is a devout Catholic, and strives to succeed at her school. To establish her humanity and morality, she is given a long character development. The film introduces her character by showing her singing at her fathers’ church and hanging out with her friends at school. She comes off as a typical teenager with boyfriend drama and friends who just want to hang out and go to the mall after school. She further establishes her virtue in different situations, including the scene in which she decides how intimate she wanted to be with her boyfriend. Even when she finds out her boyfriend has abandoned her during her pregnancy, she returns home to do homework and moves on. Although the stereotype taints her morality, it is countered through subversion. Through multiple examples, the film shows that this morality is her key to success. Despite her circumstances, there is still hope for her in the end because she is willing to adhere to the individualistic values – the key component of the American …show more content…
The couple serves as contrast of how the American Dream is achievable for them despite their morality, because they are White. They embody stereotypes about affluent gay White men that are displayed in their hypersexuality including an open relationship, selfish entitlement, and frivolous lifestyle. This is evidenced in their swingers’ party, where they recruit Carlos as a “sexy Latino cholo” and eventually seduce him. The decision to evict Tomas was purely because of James’ jealousy of his affair with Carlos. Shortly after Tomas’ eviction and death, James and Gary share a scene where they criticize Tomas’ garden and talk about renovating it into something useful. These scenes all reinforce their role as relentless gentrifiers. However, the couple serves mostly to embody everything the Mexican Americans are not: liberal, openly homosexual, sexually unrestricted, affluent, and White. The same issues that are keeping Magdalena and her family from succeeding are not a barrier for James and Gary. In fact, they are able to thrive in spite of them. In addition, the contrast between Gary’s prospect as an immigrant from London and Magdalena family’s struggle reinforces that access to economic success is highly associated with race. The couple’s stereotype is not subverted because there is no need to reaffirm their humanity or question their morality. As affluent White men, it is assumed
Quinceañera (2006) is an independent film by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland about a 14-year-old Mexican American girl named Magdalena in Echo Park, Los Angeles. She becomes pregnant through non-penetrative sex, but her Catholic preacher father refuses to accept that and casts her out of his home. Magdalena moves in with her great uncle Tomas and estranged cousin Carlos, who was casted out of the family for being gay. The trio …show more content…
At the same time, she is an innocent girl who respects her parents, is a devout Catholic, and strives to succeed at her school. To establish her humanity and morality, she is given a long character development. The film introduces her character by showing her singing at her fathers’ church and hanging out with her friends at school. She comes off as a typical teenager with boyfriend drama and friends who just want to hang out and go to the mall after school. She further establishes her virtue in different situations, including the scene in which she decides how intimate she wanted to be with her boyfriend. Even when she finds out her boyfriend has abandoned her during her pregnancy, she returns home to do homework and moves on. Although the stereotype taints her morality, it is countered through subversion. Through multiple examples, the film shows that this morality is her key to success. Despite her circumstances, there is still hope for her in the end because she is willing to adhere to the individualistic values – the key component of the American …show more content…
The couple serves as contrast of how the American Dream is achievable for them despite their morality, because they are White. They embody stereotypes about affluent gay White men that are displayed in their hypersexuality including an open relationship, selfish entitlement, and frivolous lifestyle. This is evidenced in their swingers’ party, where they recruit Carlos as a “sexy Latino cholo” and eventually seduce him. The decision to evict Tomas was purely because of James’ jealousy of his affair with Carlos. Shortly after Tomas’ eviction and death, James and Gary share a scene where they criticize Tomas’ garden and talk about renovating it into something useful. These scenes all reinforce their role as relentless gentrifiers. However, the couple serves mostly to embody everything the Mexican Americans are not: liberal, openly homosexual, sexually unrestricted, affluent, and White. The same issues that are keeping Magdalena and her family from succeeding are not a barrier for James and Gary. In fact, they are able to thrive in spite of them. In addition, the contrast between Gary’s prospect as an immigrant from London and Magdalena family’s struggle reinforces that access to economic success is highly associated with race. The couple’s stereotype is not subverted because there is no need to reaffirm their humanity or question their morality. As affluent White men, it is assumed