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.
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This film was my least favorite of the three films we have screened, but I did enjoy it. I too felt that Pepa should just move on and take care of herself and her child. I think that is what she did do, after saving Ivan I thought she realized he wasn't worth all the trouble, but she did not want him to die. I also agree that this is a fairly common occurence. I think women are frequently taken advantage of by men. But I am also sure that the opposite occurs, men being taken advantage of by women, just maybe not as often. I really do not feel the movie is a true reflection of Spanish women, but I really hadn't thought about all of the films showing women being taken advantage of until I read it in your posting. I agree it is sad to see women treated so badly in all three films, but I don't feel that was the purpose of any of the films either.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say American women do things differently. Being a single mother for five years was not easy, but I did it without chasing men to provide for me and my kids. I am an independent American women. My upbringing was also not as sophisticated as the women in the film. How does a women feel like she needs a man even when he is a cheater. How pathetic! There are so many wonderful men out there that I know would make good companions and no act like Ivan.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there is a common theme about all three movies. I am still trying to grasp the nature of these women. Are most spanish speaking women without self-esteem. Is this just the way it is? Do they have any ambition to become independent? Do they have goals for their family plan? Help me understand if this is really how it is.
I agreed with your analysis that all of the main women characters in the three films so far all have been taken advantage of by men. The only situation in which I believe that this wonam wasn't going to be taken advantage of is between Rosario and Paco. He seemed to genuinely care for Rosario and want the best for her and Carlitos. But who's to say he wouldn't leave her in the end?!?
ReplyDeleteI didn't enjoy this film much, either. I didn't find it funny, and I often was confused at how this film is considered such a funny movie in the hispanic culture. It just goes to show how different cultures can be!
Thank you for your comments, they bring a great amount of analysis to help understand the process of culture comparison.
ReplyDeleteCammy Reagan
ReplyDeleteI agree that the women of the United States are much more independent, however you will still find those women in any culture that will chase after a man. Women of that time were more dependent on a man. You definitely see women of today raising children without a man. After having worked in the emergency room you see that more often than women that have a spouse that is there to support and care for them and their children. I also agree that there seems to be a common theme in the movies that we have watched...women of the spanish culture continue to be taken advantage of, left alone to care for a child on their own, etc. I too, hope that women of hispanic decent are not as easily taken advantage of in todays world.
I did not enjoy this movie as much as I did the others and I too hope the next film is better than this one.