Like Water for Chocolate

This movie was a mix of emotions and did a very good job at portraying magical realism. I really found the characters in this movie as very interesting. First, the mother. Wow! What was wrong with her? I understand family traditions, but I really don't understand why Tita and Pedro couldn't marry and live with her just as Rosaura did? Also, she was willing to put her daughter through so much pain. To see the man that she loved everyday and at the same time be with her sister. The pain that she put Tita through just amazes me. I would do anything in my power for my daughter not to feel pain.

Tita, well she was truly a handful. She started out as such a sweet and innocent girl who was raised by Nacha. Yet through everything that her mother put her through she became a woman who cared only about her feelings. We see her agree to marry a great man whom would have given her anything in the world, only to cheat on him while he was out. She was not ashamed of displaying her affection and emotions towards Pedro at the ranch after her mother died. Even though her sister was there the whole time. The betrayal that she felt from her mother and sister finally overwhelmed her and she was able to change her personality in order to get what she wanted. The one quality that I loved about her was her motherly touch. She so tenderly took care of Her sister's baby and then again to Esperanza. She was able to raise Esperanza after her sister's death. She discarded the family tradition and made sure that Esperanza married a man she loved.

Pedro- I did not like him at all. He tells Tita how much he loves her and almost in the same breath agrees to marry her sister. I understand he wanted to be close to Tita but what woman in her right mind would want to see the man she loved kissing and sleeping with their sister. That is just down right gross. I felt that like she said he should have just kidnapped her. I was just very disappointed in him. Enough said.

Gertrudis-I loved her! She was the best character. She didn't care what anybody thought and ran off to be rid of the horrible mother that she had. I loved her personality and thought she was hilarious.

Magic realism was very evident in this movie. First the wedding cake that had received Tita's tears makes everyone cry and then throw up. Then we see the flowers that Pedro gave Tita that she cooked with the quail and makes everyone horny and causes Gertrudis to run off and be taken by the federalis. We also see the magic realism in the beginning of the movie with the water breaking during the pregnancy and flowing like a river. The matches that caused the place to burn up after Tita ate them was amazing. I found magic realism hilarious because it is so unbelievable.

I really don't know what I felt about this film. It was horrible. I won't watch it again, but it brought forth many emotions. Interesting!

The Motorcycle Diaries

This was a great film and very eye opening. When I read before class the Che Guevara was part of the revolution with Castro I automatically assumed that he was a bad person. Instead we see a story of 2 men who started out on a mission and both made dramatic changes throughout the movie.

I feel there are so many points in this movie in which we see Ernesto's personality change and can see glimpses of what the future may hold for him. We see him go from being frank and straight forward like he was with the man with the tumor, into a man who can sweet talk his way through things. One of the big scenes I can see his personality change is when he is at the house with his girlfriend. He loved her so much and wanted with all his might to stay close to her, yet he was on a mission and stayed true to that mission. He ends up leaving her behind in hopes that she will wait for him. He started something and was destined to finish it. We can see a dramatic change in Ernesto when he runs into the couple in the desert. We see him start to realize the injustices in the world and how it has impacted everyone. He is willing to give up his blanket so the woman can be warm and we find out later in the movie that he even gives up his $15 dollars to them. He could have used that money so many other times in his journey, yet he felt this couple needed it more than he did.

When the men finally do end up in the leper colony we see a man who truly cares for people. He puts past him the fact that these sick people have leprosy and disobeys the rules by not wearing gloves and hugging and touching the people. He sees injustice in the fact that he was not served food at the colony because he did not attend mass, but then sees how caring people can be by risking themselves to bring him food. He truly changes while at the colony. He falls in love with these people and is truly amazed how the people embrace him like family. We see him truly upset about the fact that the sick were placed on their own island and he even swims across the river to be with them on his birthday. He realizes that his dream of being a doctor is no longer a reality and he is determined to fight the injustice in the world. He even expresses in his birthday speech that everyone should be able to live together and have the same rights.

In the end we see changes in both men. Mial is changed and is forever loyal to his good friend Fuser. What started out whole-hearted and funny ends up in a serious silence with two changed men on a mission to right the wrongs in the country. Che Guevara was a very influential man who only wanted justice for the impoverished people.

Women on the verge.....

I really did not enjoy this film. It was hard for me to find the humor in it. I felt that Pepa was an idiot for chasing a man that she knew was with other women. I felt that she knew the whole time that Ivan was cheating on her and that she was chasing something she could never have. I think that if she really wanted to let him know that she was pregnant she would have just left him a message with one of his many mistresses. I thought she looked like a fool running around all hours of the night trying to find him. She should have just accepted the fact that he was a player and tried to take care of herself and move on with her life. When she realized that Ivan had another child whom he never saw she should have realized that no matter what, even if she did find him that he would not take care of his child. He was in no way going to stay true to one woman and take care of his responsibilities. As my mother would say "a tiger never changes his stripes." Ivan was also going to be a player and move from woman to woman always making an excuse.

I think that this sort of situation happens all the time in many cultures. You see many woman here in the US that are single mothers and the fathers have nothing to do with them. I think the difference is that American woman are more independent and especially in the later generations are taught that they should not depend on men to take care of them. I think that is becoming more of the norm for American woman to have a baby out of wedlock and to raise that child herself. I feel that an American woman would have faced that responsibility more easily and not chased the man around trying to get help from him.

I feel that in all the Hispanic films we have watched there has been a common theme that woman are taken advantage of by men. Rosario was taken advantage of by her ex who left her to raise a child on her own and make decisions that she should never have to make. In Machuca we see a mother who has a wonderful family and loves her child, yet she lets herself be taken advantage of by a rich man who can fulfill her material needs. In this film we see that all the women allow themselves to be taken advantage of. Pepa allows Ivan to do whatever he wants with other woman and accepts it by chasing him like a fool. Candella was taken advantage of by the Shiites and then by Carlos. Lucia allows Ivan to ruin her whole life. I really hope that in real life Hispanic women are stronger and don't depend on women as much.

I really did not enjoy this film as I did the other two. I hope the next film we watch is better. Sorry about the bad review.

Machuca

What thoughts do you have about the interaction between these two children?

Gonzalo and Pedro were brought together by Father McEnroe who offered scholarships to a few children in the "shanty towns." There friendship prospered based on the fact that they both were bullied. Gonzalo stood up for Pedro and their friendship blossomed from there. They were typical young boys and enjoyed being children. They didn't seem to notice that they were from two completely different worlds. Neither boy seemed to mind the differences in their social class and in actuality spent more time in the "shanty town" then they did at Gonzalo's house. When it came to girls they both seemed to take interest in the same girl and didn't mind sharing her. I feel that they both acted like typical boys and didn't judge each other.

Were you able to see the differences between two social classes, the rich and the poor in Chile?

The social classes were obvious in this movie. The first we saw of the differences was at the school when the poor children were brought in. Their clothes were tattered and they didn't have the clothes to participate in swim class. You can also see the differences in the cars that were driven. Gonzalo's mom drove a nice car while Pedro's uncle drove a run down truck. You can also see the difference in the housing. The "shanty towns" were run down and there were many people crowded into the houses. Whereas Gonzalo had a nice clean house with a nanny and had many luxuries like nice toys, clothes, shoes and plenty of food. It was very eye opening to see the difference in the two social classes.

What messages can you obtain from this film?

One message that I obtained was that many children wear "rose colored" glasses. They don't seem to care about social status, they just want to be friends and have fun. Another message I got was that everyone is human. As much as Gonzalo loved his friends and didn't want to see them hurt, when push came to shove he didn't mind throwing his social status out there to save his own life. He knew that his Pedro would be killed and although he didn't agree with it he didn't want to die.

Add your personal thoughts about film, content, culture, social issues, etc.

It was amazing to me to see the total disregard for human life that we see in this film. When the military came in they had no remorse in "disposing" of the poor and ruining their town. We hear about this genocide in Germany with the Jews and it is hard to think that many years after the Jews something like this happened again. It is disgusting that people could do something like this and never feel they were doing something wrong. It makes me glad everyday when I wake up in the US and can treasure my freedom.

La Misma Luna

This film is a great depiction of an illegal immigrants life in the US. Rosario had made a tough decision when Carlitos was little to leave him behind with his grandmother and cross the border. She felt that there were more opportunities in the US and if she was able to work and become a legal citizen that she could provide a better life for her son. She exerted a lot of effort in order to hide from the INS and work illegally to send money home to her son and save for a lawyer. She gave up the comforts of family, familiar surroundings and her son to try and make a better life for both of them. You also see the struggle of illegal immigrants when Carlitos is with Enrique. They have to work hard jobs that most people would not like to do and constantly have to worry that the INS is going to come and take them back to Mexico. We see that they would rather struggle and hide in the US then to go back to Mexico.

The struggles that Rosario and Carlitos faced while apart were tremendous. Carlitos only real family in Mexico was his grandmother. She was ill and he was such a young child to deal with taking care of a sick grandmother. He constantly struggled with the fact that his mother left him and he had no father. He felt that he had done something wrong and his parents did not love him. He didn't realize his mother left him in order to make a better life for them both. He was alone when his grandmother died and I feel this pushed him over the edge to find his mother. He missed her terribly and you could see this when he would wait anxiously for his mother's phone call every Sunday. Rosario felt some of the same emotions. She loved her son so much that she was willing to risk her own safety in the US. She longed for her child and pushed everything and everyone away to do anything to be with Carlitos. Rosario could have taken the easy way out and married Paco who was a legal US citizen and then brought her son to the US. Yet she was strong and determined that this was something that she was going to do on her own. It pained me to see how much she missed her son. I could never imagine being away from my daughter for as long as she was away from her son. It is hard to not have your family there to support you. Both Carlitos and Rosario felt that they were alone and had no one, if they didn't have each other.

I really don't feel that a woman in the US would make the same decision that Rosario made. There are many programs in the US to help struggling families and most woman would turn to these programs for help. Also, there are many opportunities that we take for granted. We are so used to having food, water, shelter and luxury items that we tend to forget that in other countries people do not have these luxuries. Rosario made a tough decision that many other woman would not be able to make and in the long run was able to be reunited with her son.

The title Under the Same Moon is touching. We see that even though they were miles apart and in separate countries that they were both "under the same moon." They both loved each other and longed to be together. They both faced struggles and heartache. They both had the same ultimate goal which was to defy all odds and be together. I really enjoyed this movie and would highly recommend it.