Monthly Archives: February 2018

A Closer Look Into Nora’s Will- Luis Melgar

La Tía Leah en Nora’s Will

Directed by Mariana Chenillo, Nora’s Will surrounds the death of Nora Kurtz who, prior to her suicide, invites several guests to a Passover dinner. Each person invited was involved someway in her life. Jose Kurtz, her ex-husband, finds Nora after she overdosed on pills and proceeds to revisit his own past with her and investigate the curious events that led up to her death. The plot follows a number of characters, but primarily Jose, who learns that while he and Nora were married there was another lover in the picture which pushes us through the rest of the film.

Chenillo does an excellent job of providing a central point for the story; the suicide of Nora and the struggle her friends, family, and the local Jewish religious leaders go through as they prepare for her burial. I found that the premise in the movie is fantastic in that there are many elements that the audience can relate to. Themes surrounding death, family and faith are all key aspects of this film. Although I would have liked to learn exactly what intent Nora has for Jose, the open ending might be interpreted in a way that we ourselves don’t always have closure with regards to death. The finality of death can make one uneasy and unsettled among many other emotions. Nora’s will for Jose allows the audience to immerse themselves into his life and it either gives us consolation and satisfaction, or it makes us reflect about what a loved one in our own life would write to us. I did not really find many weaknesses in the film aside from the casting selection. The representation of darker skinned Fabiana, a handmaiden for the Kurtz family, as a subserviant and Christian woman seems to fall into the stereotype that is constantly perpetuated in the film industry, but aside from that I have no major critiques. I enjoyed the sprinkles of wit, humor and irony with the various Jewish faith references as it alleviated the emotions that surrounded Nora’s death.

This film is excellent in that it plays into the themes that we are currently undertaking in our “Race in Latin America” course. Although this is a film that can be understood to have taken place within the past 15 years, there is a connection that resonates with just about any person within any given time period; the changes that occur throughout life and the relationships that make up a person, and what is left after death. The rituals, customs and culture are brought out constantly throughout this film and relate to how groups of people come together from all walks of life surrounding major life events. We have to be mindful about others cultural and religious practices when different traditions cost. A perfect example of this dynamic can be seen with Moises and Fabiana. Initially there were tensions amongst the two as Fabiana, a devout Christian, and Moises, a Jewish convert and Shomer, engage with each other. Moises would later share that he grew up near the same town that Fabiana was from. This changes the relationship between the two, and they find that they have many more similarities than they initially thought.

Our course seeks to find the ways into which we perceive “the other.” The ideas that keep two groups of people apart can purely subjective and ideological in nature. Once we begin to look into the character of other groups, faiths, and cultures, we can then more astutely make suggestions as to how we associate. Was this Nora’s will or intention in the end? That is, to bring groups of people who apparently don’t belong… together, to share a meal? We may never know…

Film Analysis – 1

Cinco días Sin Nora is a Mexican film that is set in a Jewish community in urban Mexico. It begins with Jose Kurtz learning that his ex-wife, Nora, has passed away by committing suicide. The rabbi advises that because of the Passover holiday, the burial must take place either right away or not for five days. Before passing away, Nora schemes a plan that leads Jose to prepare for her funeral. Through this process, Jose rekindles his love for his ex-wife from the past memories with a twist of an unexpected affair and the faith that was imposed upon him by his religious family is tested.

This movie uses the slightest gestures to shed light at the big issues in the background. It draws a line, where religious faith becomes comfort and where toxic ritual. The film does an excellent job at keeping the viewers engaged with a comical plot line in a religious matter. For example, the scene where Jose offered rabbi some pizza with meat on it. Here they also show the bad side of religion by not letting Nora being buried in the Jewish cemetery because suicide a sin according to their religion. Nora, the dead ex-wife, plays a crucial role even after her death. She sets the whole tone for the movie by somehow manipulating each character. She gives the meaning to the word Passover by leaving hints of her presence throughout the movie.  Passover is a festival celebrated by the Jews, where there is a prescribed time to commemorate and reflect upon deceased loved ones. I believe that was the overall theme of the movie, before passing way, Nora, devised such a plan that brought all of her loved ones together to celebrate her cherished memories at the end with the Passover dinner that she instructed Fabiana to make. The only criticism that I would make is that there was not much information leading up to Nora’s death as to why she was could have been depressed. Other than that it was a good movie with universal theme of love, family, religion and culture coming together to celebrate the festival of Passover.

Connecting to the theme of our class, this movie showcases the indigeneity in Mexico. Prior to this movie I had no idea that Judaism even existed in Mexico. There is a certain example in the movie that shows the cultural values outplays the religious ones, for example when Fabiana finds out that the Shomer is from a place near her hometown, her reaction towards the Shomer changes immediately. Prior to that she treated him rigidly because of difference in their religion. Therefore implying that geography does play a crucial role in uniting people in Latin America.  Overall the movie was a great watch and would recommend it to anyone interested for a peak at the Jewish community in Mexico.

Film Analysis – 1

This film is about a family mourning the suicide of Nora Kurtz, an ex-wife and mother who had attempted suicide several times before finally succeeding. Before she died, Nora left the Passover meal ready, left letters behind for those she cared about, and even left coffee in the pot. Jewish custom does not allow for suicide victims to be buried alongside others, and so it was difficult to find her eternal resting place, but Jose, her ex-husband, found her a spot between his parents.

Overall, the movie was heartwarming, but the only person who showed character development was Jose. At first, he purposely did not follow the Jewish customs and ordered a pizza topped with sausage and bacon during Passover. He was eventually able to put his atheism aside so Nora could rest in peace. He even ate the kosher meal that was prepared for Passover, after initially refusing to eat anything that was left in the refrigerator. When he read the letter Nora left him, I like to think he was finally able to understand Nora and realize that she never stopped loving him. I felt that there was not much dialogue, but the score and cinematography filled up the empty space in a discrete way, and when there was dialogue, a sort of dark/dry humor complimented the somber tone. An example of the use of camera angles is at the end of the movie when the camera zooms out from the apartment building. It goes without saying that no matter how massive a problem seems to an individual, it is minuscule in the grand scheme of things.

In relation to class, it was interesting to see a Latino, Jewish family. Our class has focused a lot on Christianity and Catholicism, that at times it is easy to forget that other religions are present in Latin America. Moreover, it was interesting to see that the cast looked very European with light skin and hair, and the family had a Germanic surname of Kurtz. On the other hand, the maid Fabiana, has darker skin, is from a lesser-known village, and is Catholic or Christian. These are characteristics that are typical of indigenous peoples. Her role as a maid ties into the perpetual servitude/peonage of indigenous populations in Latin America that has been present since the land was colonized by European nations. It would have been simple to cast another white-passing actress, but this casting call seems to be purposeful in the perpetuation of stereotypes.

Analysis of Cinco días sin Nora by Matthew Barrett 

The quasi-dramatic Mexican comedy Cinco días sin Nora, directed by Mariana Chenillo, tastefully blends dark humor into the death of Nora Kurtz. Nora’s ex-husband José ventures over to her apartment to find that Nora had overdosed on medication in her final suicide attempt. However, Nora’s suicide strikes suspicion in José after too may coincidental events unfold; almost as if Nora killed herself simply to manipulate her ex-husband José one last time. The film takes a dramatic turn as José accidentally finds an old photograph depicting his ex-wife with another man from the time of their marriage, causing José to question the relationship he began with Nora in the first place.

Cinco días sin Nora is subtly hilarious. The protagonist José Kurtz, portrays an “I don’t want to be bothered” attitude which is ironic because José is nothing but bothered and burdened throughout the entire film. Although divorced, José and Nora allude to a stereotypical old married couple who argue and endlessly suspect each other. A prime example would be José finding his deceased ex-wife’s sticky-note reminders annoying and then retaliating against Nora by mixing and moving the reminders around. By the end of the film, however, I noticed a major theme that connects to our Race in Latin American History course, cultural unity.

Race is an inherent part of a culture. Culture becomes especially important when investigating the racial-cultural identity known as mestizaje. A great example of this theme, cultural unity, stands out during the last moments of the film when the Kurtz family is sitting down for Passover dinner. This family meal is quite a change from the continuous conflict between people of different religions and cultures. José and his family are of European descent and belong to Jewish faith with the exception of José’s atheistic views. The Kurtz’s maid is faithfully Christian and likely of indigenous descent. The humorous conflict that arises between the different cultures is what makes Cinco días sin Nora so darkly comical. Serving a rabbi and José’s son Reuben pizza topped with bacon and sausage is disrespectful, not to mention that it’s currently during the holiday of Passover. To further spite his ex-wife, José attempts to have Nora buried by a Christian burial service causing much grief in the family. In the ending, however, José attempts to mend his relationship with his family by giving up his own burial plot shortly after the Kurtz family experiences shameful burial attempt. The meal sharing at the end of the film in which each Kurtz member and the maid are joyfully participating in the meal illustrates the theme of cultural unity. Different people joining together for something as humble as holiday dinner fits right along the description of mestizaje. José participating in the meal [during Passover] shows his family that he respects his son’s faith despite his own beliefs. This dinner reunited the Kurtz family, mending the broken bridges set in the past, sadistically put forth by the suicide of the grandmother Nora.

Cosmic Race – Jose Vasconcelos

Jose Vasconcelos wrote this reading, which can be classified as a thought-piece, in 1925. It is possible that he wrote this in an attempt to persuade the literate masses in Mexico about the superiority of the “fifth race”, inciting a nationalistic fervor, and rallying supporters for his 1928 presidential campaign.

This essay elaborates on how to gain access to the fifth and superior race. Forced marriages and dominance must be left behind, and we must open up to love and choice in order to create a more beautiful, educated and liberal race. The Americas are the new “promised lands,” and we must accept each other in order to be worthy of such gifts. Advancements in technology have debunked the notion that their must be one, superior and dominant race. There are three levels to society: militaristic, which would be won by the Anglos; rational, which would be won by the “Malays”; and aestheticism, which is the best way to live, and would be dominated by the mestizos.

Vasconcelos contradicts himself. He preaches loving thy neighbor and accepting the positive characteristics of other races, but proceeds to denigrate the poor, the uneducated, and the physically unappealing people. He claims the fifth race will be superior because all of these “negative traits” will die out, because these people would not be able to procreate. He is blaming genes for poverty and illiteracy when these are institutional failings.

Do you think these stereotypical positive and negative characteristics of different races are reliable?

Do you believe peace could be attained through this cosmic race?

Does this race sound more like the “whitening” of already existing cultures?

From Mestizophilia to Biotypology

A review by Luis Melgar

Biotypologist Examining an Indigenous Person

Between the 1920s and the 1960s, Mexico underwent many changes in power and governance and in its struggle to find unity and cohesion sought to establish a racialized system that would create a Mexican identity which would serve as a model for the world. This seemed to be more viable and less abhorrent at the time with the use of biotypology, a form of classifying human characteristics, instead of castes with the aim of simplifying Mexico. Ultimately, this system and many before it would fail in its attempts and would only further complicate the turbulent mapping of a 20th century Mexico.

This reading is a secondary source because it was published in 2003 and cites time periods and theories from the early to mid-20th century. This source was created as an attempt to follow and find the path that Mexico took in its attempt to find its identity.

Mestizophilia to Biotypology is a reading that contributes to “Indigeneity in Mexico” very well because it reviews key time periods that shaped how Indigeneity is perceived and categorized throughout 4 main time periods: the Porfiriato (1876-1910), the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), the postrevolutionary movement (1920-1940) and the Partido Revolucionario Institucional era (1940-60s) p.188

The reading was well researched and incorporates various schools of thoughts and theories that were emphasized during each of the time periods mentioned. The introduction was confusing initially, but after having completed the reading, I was able to read and understand the introduction in a new light. It tells a compelling story that follows mexico’s complex racial timeline. The examples cited are relevant and effective. It does require that the reader have a background in Mexican history to make sense of the references used, but thankfully we have had that in our course thus far.

I also feel that a diagram or chart that gives a clear and visual timeline that I could follow easily would add to this chapter and illustrate the racialization shifts in Mexico well. This may be difficult due to the constantly changing Mexican racial landscape. The author mentions this early on in the reading and reiterates this in the conclusion once again. Nonetheless, the reading was easy to follow.

It is clear that much time and effort was put into the eugenic and biotypological “research”. It has certain elements and influences from other factors such as Comte’s Positivism, Lamarck’s Theory, Mendelism from the 1940s.

Why do you think that there was so much emphasis and stress on identifying a people or group of people?

What do you think occurred after biotypology and where does that leave Mexico, in particular, today?