Like Water for Chocolate
Michael Kennedy

This is a story about a young woman who wants to be loved by the man who loves her but cannot because of a De Le Garza family tradition. The youngest daughter, who is Tita in this case, is not allowed to marry and has to stay and take care of her mother till she dies. Tita feels this tradition is "silly" and does not agree with it at all. She has fallen in love with Pedro and Pedro with her and wants to marry Tita but Elena forbade this because of the family tradition. So Pedro rationalizes and decides to marry Rosaura so he could be close to Tita.
As a Mexican culture food is an important component of family traditions. Recipes are passed down from generation to generation. Food plays a big role in this film and is being used to express a range of human emotions. Tita is an incredible cook and she literally pours her heart and sole into everything she makes. Since Tita cannot seduce her love interest physically she does this through her cooking. But this effects everyone who eats her food and not just Pedro. Tita made her recipes with such love that it affected the people who ate her meals. This caused people who ate her food to become sexually aroused. This happened in two instances. The first time Tita made a "rose sauce" from the flowers Pedro had given her. Elena had told Tita to throw them out but in spite of her mother she made the sauce as a way of pouring her "feelings" of love for Pedro into the recipe. As each family member consumed the meal you could see they were all affected by their physical reactions. Gertrudis had such a strong reaction she rushes to the bathhouse to take care of her urges. The second time this happens is after Elena's funeral. I personally think Tita did what she did to spite her mother yet again even though she was dead. After eating what appears to be stuffed peppers we see everyone becoming sexually aroused yet again. We even see the priest running off with a woman. Tita was loving every minute of too.
Like Water for Chocolate I think had a double meaning for this film. In some Latin American countries hot chocolate is made with water and not milk. Chocolate will not melt until water reaches its boiling point. In my opinion this was used as a metaphor in two ways. In the beginning of the film Tita has the burring passion to be with Pedro and Pedro with her. We can see that it is obvious the two are attracted to one another. There was sexual tension in the air but neither one of them could do anything about it because Pedro was not allowed to marry Tita. Now, this is where I think the the other meaning of the title comes in. Tita was told by her mother you will never marry because it is our family tradition the youngest daughter is to take care of me till I die. Tita was treated poorly by her mother all the time. This made Tita "boiling mad" and was quite upset that she could not do as she pleased. Tita eventually "told off" her mother's spirit and made her feelings known.
Magical realism was used throughout the film. As mentioned above Tita's food was able to make people become increasingly aroused and have them act on their emotions. This is something you don't see every day. The ability to cook something to make one have really bad breathe and flatulent continuously as was the case for her sister because she took her man. Also when Rosaura became quite ill and dying from a nasty smelling bowel dysfunction. Maybe a way of saying "screw you for taking up mother's ways" beacuse Tita wasn't going to have what happened to her happen to Esperanza. Tita was able to breastfeed when never having been pregnant. The incredibly long quilt that Tita had knitted was a little far-fetched too. Gertrudis becoming a general for the Mexican forces (not to say that it couldn't happen) was little out there. These magical realisms made the film somewhat comedic at times. The storymaker wanted us to "feel" what he was trying to portray his meaning onscreen in an obviously unrealistic way. But that is what draws us in and gains our attention to detail making us, the audience, think for ourselves the reason it is that way it is.

Diarios de Motocicleta
Michael Kennedy

Ernesto was a young man who was in school to become a doctor. He wanted to help people and particularly people that have leprosy. That alone is a sign that he cared for people as a whole. As the two young men were moving from place to place they did what they could to seek shelter and acquire a free meal as often as possible. Ernesto was the gentleman when it came to talking to strangers – and he did this with ease. He always seemed calm and confident no matter what the situation. Soon into their journey they came upon an older couple’s home in San Martin de los Andes, Argentina. The old man had learned that the two were doctors and had them look at his neck. Ernesto, being the honest one, told the man that he may have a tumor and not a sebaceous cyst as Alberto had stated. Ernesto gave up a free meal and a place to stay to be the “Doctor” and not the weary traveler. He put aside his own needs and was looking out for a stranger’s best interest. This was an act of selflessness, as he put someone else before himself. To be a true leader this one trait a person must have.
Ernesto again put aside his own desires to help another stranger in need. While in Los Angeles, Chile. He and Alberto had met two local girls and were on their way out to have some fun (or so we are to assume) when a local man asks Ernesto to come see a sick family member. His compassion and sympathy for the woman outweighs what fun he could have had with a girl. His decision was simple, take care of those in need. It was obvious that Ernesto was a caring person to have done something like this for someone who he didn’t even know. Everywhere he goes he kind to everyone he meets. Ernesto is a very approachable person. This is a huge asset when it comes to being able to talk to individuals and earning their trust. Ernesto did not have problem with people trusting him. You could tell right away people were comfortable around him.
Everywhere Ernesto went he was always talking to the locals taking in what was around him. I think he was trying to learn as much as he could wherever went. When they arrived in Cuzco Peru he noticed there was there was something wrong. After talking to one of the local men Ernesto learned What Fulgencio Batista was doing to their country. He wanted to know everything that was being done them. The politics involved here gave Ernesto an idea of what a leader should not be doing to his own people.
Throughout the film Alberto was always trying to get Ernesto to give him the $15.00 he possessed to use it for one thing or another. Ernesto always said no to Alberto. After boarding the boat that was taking them too San Pablo, Peru Alberto met a hooker and he wanted to be with her so he asked Ernesto again for the money only come to find out that he gave it to a couple in Peru because they had nothing. Ernesto was such a giving person to do such a thing. It seems that when a situation comes up, and Ernesto can help in some way, he does.
When in San Pablo the doctors informed Ernesto and Alberto of the head Nun’s rules. If you are to have contact with the patient’s you must wear gloves. Ernesto questioned this because leprosy is not contagious so why the need for gloves? Ernesto took it upon himself to not discriminate the people he was going to treat, so he made the choice not to wear gloves as did Alberto. Another rule was that if you wanted to eat you had to attend mass. Ernesto and Alberto did not so they were unable to get food from the Madre. But because he had made such an impression on the people he was treating they brought the food to him, knowing they were breaking the rules as well. Ernesto had people that trusted him. Earning one’s trust can spread too many people trusting you.
Ernesto had all the qualities a person could have to become a great leader. He was a good listener and communicator. He was an honest, caring, sympathetic, compassionate, trustworthy individual who really cared about people around him.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Michael Kennedy

How are Spanish speaking women interactions with men within the same culture?
It seemed to me that both the men and women in the film were very comfortable with each other. Even though some of them are strangers to one another they seemed to interact as if they knew each other. I guess it’s kind of a hard thing to describe but easier just to observe. I would assume that it is just the culture that we are seeing in the film. Carlos starts to kiss Candela as if it was no big deal. In a America he would have been lucky to have been able to walk out of the apartment. It’s not like she welcomed him kissing her but she wasn’t all that upset either.
As far as feelings of the characters go I think they were right on. Again it was their culture that came through on screen. From the discussion in class the other day I would have to say that Spain is definitely a “Hot Climate” country and the interaction between the characters would be expected I think.

Do you find any differences between women in the film and today’s American women?

In one respect maybe and that being the woman seemed to be in more control. Pepa was the one pursuing and was running the show. Actually female character had a certain – how can I put this – hardness to them I guess. An in your face attitude at times. They seemed to be the ones pursuing instead of being pursued.

What could have been different in the film if the context was in the U.S.?

Not much different I think except for some of the culture differences. The characters would have had different personalities due to the culture differences. The men would have been not as forward and the women more reserved I think.
My impressions of the film plot – Well as comedy film I think it was a little slow. And maybe because I am from a different culture that could be the reason I saw it this way. This was the first “comedy” film of a different culture that I have ever seen so it is hard to critique the plot at this time. I did like the movie but it was too slow for me as a comedy goes.

Do you think there is a difference among women from Spanish America and women from Spanish Europe?

Yes I think there would be a little bit of a difference because I think the Spanish American women would adopt American cultures at some point. They would not forget where they came from but they would change how they do certain things – culturally speaking.

Machuca: Socialism vs. Militarism in S. America

1). When Gonzalo and Pedro met for the first time in class you saw them looking at each other intently. Neither one of them said anything - just looking at each other most likely thinking "Who is this person and what are they like?". We know that the newer kids in class were probably going to have a hard time fitting in because they were from the other side of the tracks so to speak. Integrating them into the "rich kids" school. Gonzalo appears to be the quiet and one who doesn't say too much He gets teased often by the other kids in his school but he doesn't seem to mind. Pedro on the other hand doesn't take any crap from any of them. So this kind of gives us an idea of each characters personality early on in the film. Gonzalo earned Pedro's friendship in the schoolyard when he Gonzalo knocked the other kids off Pedro. At this point Pedro knew he could trust Gonzalo and I believe this was the beginning of their friendship. As time went on Gonzalo spent much time with Pedro and his friends. He even went to demonstrations to pass out flags to help earn money for their families who were barely getting by as it was. Gonzalo got to see first hand how Pedro lived. Pedro even hesitated at first to invite Gonzalo to his home most likely because he was embarrassed. This was a crucial time for Gonzalo because for the first time he really saw how different their lifestyles really were. Politics played no role in their friendship whatsoever. But that changed shortly after General Pinochet took over and the military was moving in to remove everyone from the "shantytown" as it was called. Gonzalo was riding his bike through all the mayhem when he came to Pedro's house and saw what was happening. One of the guards even grabbed Gonzalo to take him into custody as "one of them" until he said "Just look at me". This was as if he was saying "I am in no way like any of them". Pedro had heard him say this and at that point it was clear there was now a void between them. The social classes were put into perspective by that comment. Gonzalo and Pedro's eyes met and you could see that Pedro was thinking "How could you say something like that". This would be the last time they would see each other. There must have been some guilt that Gonzalo was experiencing because he went back to the site of Pedro's "Shantytown" but - everything was gone. So was his friend Pedro. Could he have helped Pedro somehow?
2). Distinguishing the differences between the two classes was easy. We can see who has the money and who doesn't by how each class dresses. There was a scene when Pedro was at Gonzalo's house and he was looking at all of his things intently. He even commented on Gonzalo's closet asking "Are all those yours!?" As if asking Gonzalo if he had to share any of those clothes with anyone else. A comment like this leads us to believe that Pedro must not have very much at all as far as tangible items goes. Gonzalo gave Pedro a pair of sneakers and Pedro was on cloud nine running in place with excitement. Tangible items were far and few for Pedro.
Because the country was more or less falling apart at this time and there were more and more strikes everyday necessities could only be bought on the black market. Well, the rich did not have any problems getting what they needed because they had the money but since there was no work and therefore no money coming in it was much more difficult for the blue collared people to make ends meet. In this case Pedro had to hit the streets selling flags and cigarettes for money along with others from his community to gather as much cash as they could to survive.
3). I think one of the messages the film is trying to portray here is "Why can't we all just get along?" It is easier said than done though. There was a scene where a young woman stated that "No matter what happened to the animals it was always my fathers fault". It seems to be much easier to blame others when things go wrong rather than trying to work things out. Yes we come from different backgrounds and yes some of us have more money than others but why does that have to mean anything? Unfortunately since the dawn of man this is how it has been - but why? You would think we would have learned from our mistakes by now and changed how we live in this world. You see innocent young children who are "taught" how to think about other people and cultures rather than letting them decide for themselves what to think. Gonzalo was neutral in this regard and was open to making friends with Pedro even though he was not in the same "class" as Pedro. It appeared he did not care from what background Pedro came, he just saw another child who he thought needed a friend. Maybe Gonzalo felt sorry for Pedro? He was an outsider that was in an unfamiliar situation and he offered his friendship to ease the transition. Fr. McEnroe was reaching out as well hoping maybe that the community would be behind him in what he was trying to do. This obviously did not work. The rich did not want to budge. Little did they know it was their own children causing the problems, & not the other way around.
Another message from this film would be that it only takes one man in power to ruin a country. Allende's socialist and communistic ways drove the country into the ground causing a major depression. People were losing their jobs and basic needs were unattainable because of what Allende had caused. As in any country though disaster could strike. It only takes one person to convince many that they know what is right for the country - or is it?
4). I find it disheartening that a country could discriminate its own people. Although it happens every day everywhere we look. We are to assume at the end of the film Pedro's people are being persecuted for a reason. What reason? Are they a threat to their country? Hardly. They are being discriminated against because their views may be a little different. As a culture though they are all pretty much the same - aren't they? I could really see no difference between Gonzalo and Pedro except for their clothes and lifestyles. They spoke the same language - had similar interests. Discrimination is what kills. As a country and as an individual. Who is the government to judge people the way they do. Every country has its problems but it is the smaller countries who have been literally getting away with murder. I just find it so hard to believe that a country can kill its own - and get away with it. The end of the film is a good example of this. An innocent girl is trying to defend a man she calls "Dad" as he is kicked and beaten. She is of no real threat the the military men but she is shot anyway. Was this justified - No! But will anything come it - No! This is no way to run a country.

La Misma Luna

1) Rosario made her way to the United States on her own for a few reasons. First of all it would have been unsafe to take her son with her because of the risk of losing him or worse having him taken away. Rosario had a plan and that plan was to go to the America’s and make as much money as she could so that she could bring Carlitos to the United States to be with her. At the same time she would be able to help take care of her ailing mother by finding work wherever she could to send money each month. If Carlitos was with her she would not have been able to work and take care of her son at the same time.
2) Rosario knew what she had to do to make life better for her and Carlitos. Life in Mexico was not what she wanted for herself or her son. She wanted out and to do this she had to make one of the most extreme sacrifices any parent could ever face. Being separated from one’s child for as long as Rosario is heartbreaking and we see this each time she talks to Carlitos every Sunday when she calls him. So the decision was extremely difficult because she knew she would be separated from her family but she also knew what she could do to make things much better for them and that is why she chose to leave.
3) As time went on Carlitos became more and more worried that he would never see his mother again. He even says this while sitting at the table with his Grandmother as he starts to cry. Carlitos was more or less taking care of his Grandmother and had no one else to rely on and was becoming more and more lonely. He was even confronted with an aunt and uncle he never knew. I think he felt like the world was crashing in around him without his mother there especially after his grandmother passed away. I know this is why he set out to find his mother.
Rosario was having the same problem Carlitos was - that being away from her son. They were both yearning for each other’s company. I think Rosario felt helpless, guilty and sad that she was without her son and was even having second thoughts wondering if she had made the right decision and was ready to return back to Mexico.
4) I don’t think it would matter where a mother lived in this world I think they would do whatever it took to do right by their children. Making life the best for our children is what all parents strive for or what they should strive for anyway. Parents go to extreme measures to make life good so they can take this with them when they have their own children.