Las Mejores Hispánicas Películas
Aug 28 '01
The Bottom Line Although it's common to find Hispanic stereotypes in films, it's more difficult to access films that respect the culture (unless it's by a Spanish director).
Hispanic cameos have cropped up over the years in film, usually as background atmosphere or as stereotypes—Mexican banditos, drug dealers, and gang members. It’s much rarer to find films that portray everyday life and culture of Hispanics; however, there are a few films that treat these people as human beings. Following are ten that come to mind, in roughly descending preference in terms of the criteria of being a “Hispanic film.”
1. Like Water, Like Chocolate (1992)
A visual tone poem about love, passion and longing drip from this film as Tita’s tears fall into her mole sauce. The film deals with old Mexican traditions that don’t allow Tita to marry the man that she loves, and requires her to care for her mother. Forced to bottle up her passions, Tita finds an outlet in the kitchen and infuses her cooking with such emotional intensity that it causes diners to cry, laugh, or rush to the river in pain. Narrated as a Mexican legend, Alfonso Arau’s beautifully photographed film touches the heart without sinking into sappy sentimentality.
2. Butterfly (La Lengua de las Mariposas) (2000)
Spanish director Jose Luis Cuerda’s film takes place right after Spain’s old order of monarchs and the church have been overthrown, and just before the Spanish Civil War when there is great tension between republicans and fascists in the country. This is the brief shining moment of the Spanish Republic. While most Americans know little of the Spanish Republic and the Spanish Civil War, it has remained fertile subject matter for Spanish artists, writers, and film directors. Essential to the story is the idea that freedom briefly peeks through the clouds of oppression during these years. Cuerda gives us a very intimate portrait that demonstrates how the people are caught in the middle, and he does so without preaching. The final scene is as memorable as the freeze frame in Truffaut’s The 400 Blows and will remain with the viewer a long time.
3. All About My Mother (1999)
Actually, I could fill up a number of spots with Pedro Almoldovar’s films since the Spanish director consistently portrays slices of Spanish life and treats his characters as real people—no matter how bizaare they are (hookers, prostitutes, transvestites, drug dealing nuns, etc.). Amoldovar's freewheeling plots and characters have always indicated his tremendous talent, yet the tighter structure employed in All About My Mother shows how he can touch on deeper themes. I especially like the parallel stories that go on between Manuella, Sister Rosa, and Rosa's mother, and how Amoldovar ingeniously weaves Tennessee Williams' play into his story. It profoundly makes us realize how we must appreciate the moments we have, serve others, and live our lives honestly. And the film accomplishes this without preaching to us.
If you enjoy this Almoldovar offering, other good works include: Two Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Matador, and Dark Habits.
4. Solas (“Alone”) (1999)
This 1999 Spanish film also presents a moving portrait about a mother. Although the official star of the film is the thin and beautiful Maria (Ana Fernandez), Solas is dominated by the powerful dignity of her mother (Maria Galiana), a simple woman who has long suffered at the abusive hands of her alcoholic and ill-tempered husband. Benito Zambrano elegantly portrays the mother as a selfless saint without overdoing the sentimentality.
5. Men with Guns (1997)
John Sayles makes a significant mark with this underseen independent film that depicts life in an unstable South American country. The American film (in Spanish with English subtitles) follows an idealistic doctor, trying to make a difference to improve the community heath situation in the remote jungle areas only to run into political complications. Has the doctor’s life been in vain, or will he leave a legacy? These are questions posed in this interesting point of view film that doesn’t cop out and give easy answers.
6. Stand and Deliver (1987)
A film popular with schools that promote the idea that minorities can succeed, James Ol stars as the real life Jaime Escalante, regarded as a teaching guru for his accomplishments at Garfield High in the East L.A. area. Although fictionalized for dramatic purposes, it does call attention to the fact that many Hispanic high school students were able to arise above stereotypical low expectations and pass the Advanced Placement tests for Calculus through Escalante's program. Edward James Olmos gives his most credible acting performance in this “feel good” flick.
7. Amores Perros (2000)
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film has been tagged in America as Mexico’s parallel to Pulp Fiction for marketing purposes, or perhaps the director has simply copied Quentin Tarantino’s narrative style without integrating its three stories as tightly. The stories all share a common point in time and place, beginning with a car accident in the mean streets of Mexico City, and all three separate stories involve relationship problems and dogs.
The gritty film does give the feeling that we are truly experiencing the rough street life of Mexico City through the hand held camera. If you’ve been across the border, you may even think that you can smell the fried tortillas and tacos, in this breakthrough independent Mexican film.
8. Traffic (2000)
Who isn’t already familiar with stories about Mexican officials being bribed by drug lords, and who doesn’t realize that the occasional drug busts at the border represent only a part of the drugs that make it inside the States in an ever increasing business that operates on supply and demand economic principles. But two items elevate this drug traffic exposé above the usual simplistic treatment. For one, Soderbergh refuses to offer a definitive solution for a problem far too complex to solve in a 2.5 hour movie. The other item that makes this film worthwhile viewing in terms of Hispanic culture is Benicio Del Toro’s steadfast determination to portray a believable Mexican law officer who actually attempts to weave a proper path through the complications. The baseball metaphor at the end is a nice touch.
9. Milagro Beanfield War (1988)
Entertaining lightweight film does capture some authentic Hispanic flavor of the Southwest in this tale about a small New Mexico community that stands up for itself against a businessman who only sees profit from the desert. Rebellious octogenerian Carlos Riquelme stands out along with his faithful pig, and any movie with Christopher Walken serving as one of the antagonists is worth a look.
10. West Side Story (1961)
I’m sure that I’m forgetting another worthy candidate but I want to avoid naming the weak Blow in this list. Besides, West Side Story has a lot going for it even if it seems a little dated today and uses non-Hispanic Natalie Wood as the female lead for Maria. The songs remain strong, the choreography terrific, and Rita Moreno portrays one of the strongest Hispanic characters in film history. I still remember Hispanic friends from the 60’s and 70’s who fell in love with this film because it was one of the few that didn’t treat their people as background fodder.
Honorable Mention:
For some laughs, check out Woody Allen’s spoof on South American dictatorships (and other subject matter) in Bananas (1971). This one is a lot of fun from the opening television coverage of El Presidente’s assassination (featuring a play by play by Howard Cosell), to the snake bite sequence during the guerrilla training, to the hilarious courtroom scene where J. Edgar Hoover appears disguised as a black woman.
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Member: John Nesbit
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