First things first: I’d give this movie 2 of 5 stars. And that’s only because I was in a good mood when I watched it. A great idea, but could have been cut down to about 20-30 minutes and the point would have been just as clear. Acting was hilarious, but I’m not sure that was intentional. Facts were interesting, but the Bradley Hand font they used for them was not a good choice.
All complaining aside, I actually thought that A Day Without a Mexican raised good points and brought up a valid issue that is often ignored in the United States. Latinos are often all lumped together. Colombians, Guatemalans and other latinoamericanos are often carelessly thrown into the category of “Mexican” without any prior thought by their labeler. Even worse, latinos are often assumed to be illegal immigrants—even if they were born and raised in the US.
This movie made me more aware of how much of a powerful impact that latinos have on the US not only culturally, with salsa being our nation’s favorite condiment, but also economically. According to the movie, latinos in California alone are contributing 100 billion dollars to the economy.
The most thought-provoking scene in A Day Without a Mexican was the section in which Lyla realizes, for herself and for the audience, that even though she’s genetically Armenian, she’s a latina at heart. She has been raised by latinos and that is who she identifies with.
In my mind, being a latino/a is a state of mind, rather than a genetic prescription. I have a friend named Christine. She has curly dark hair, dances salsa and mambo, speaks Spanish, and is one of the fieriest women I know. She’s genetically not of Hispanic descent in any way, but she identifies as a latina. On the most recent census, she labeled herself as “other,” because there isn’t an option to check for “Latino/a.”
I think it’s really important that people realize that, as both Christine and Lyla have showed me, being a latino, latina (or identifying with any group of people, for that matter) is more about what’s on the inside than what’s on the outside.
I agree with you about the movie's climactic point--that our affiliations are with the groups we choose, or that is at least the way it should be. However, I think it's important to realize that other factors--such as immigration status, education and training, degree of assimilation into the dominant culture--are involved in limiting our degree of choice. Christine can choose to affiliate with Latinos, but could an undocumented Latino choose to affiliate with a middle-class Anglo group, especially without the same educational benefits and ability to work in a professional career?
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I agree that the movie wasn't anywhere close to approaching cinematic excellence. I enjoyed it more in a "so bad it's good" kind of way. Then again, my roommates and I put aside some time every weekend to watch really bad movies just to laugh at them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about "Latino" and "Latina" being a cultural identity rather than a race. In Latin America, there are many races and ethnicities, including Blacks, East Asians, Europeans, American Indians, and (mostly) mestizos. I first heard the word "mestizo" when I visited Peru at 16, and it immediately resonated with me and helped me make more sense of my own identity.
While I do take pride in knowing that many of my ancestors lived in the Americas thousands of years before me, I also take pride that others came to this land in search of a different life. I don't think there is anything wrong with taking pride in our past, so long as we don't believe our own story is superior to that of those around us.