Category Archives: film analysis

Review of film from the Latin American Film Series

Ixcanul Film Analysis

This film is about a young, indigenous girl of Mayan descent in Guatemala who is named Maria. She was promised to an older man in marriage to secure the jobs and livelihoods of her parents. She wanted to run away to the United States with a boy named Pepe, who impregnated her before abandoning her. She attempts to ward off snakes, gets bitten, and is rushed to the hospital. The doctors claim that the baby died in the process, but we later come to find that the coffin was filled with a brick and not a corpse. The movie ends with Maria being prepped for another marriage.

This film relates to the unit where we covered indigenaity in Mexico. Due to the language barrier, impoverished state, and lack of formal education, indigenous peoples are taken advantage of. The way in which the hospital took it into its own hands to deliver and give away Maria’s child with no actual consent depicts the lack of rights given to indigenous persons. They are given no agency in their well-being and are wholly dependent upon adhering to systemic inequalities.

This film also shows different aspects of what one most people view as indigenous in practice such as superstitions. Maria and her family participated in offerings to the volcano, not killing the “sacred” snakes in the field, and attempting to ward the snakes off with the scent of Maria’s breast milk. Other stereotypes include alcoholism, manual labor, and hyper sexuality. The machismo attitude that is present in many Latin American countries is also displayed; women work all day farming, cleaning, cooking, and are not paid at all. The men work in the plantation and are paid, then arrive at the house to be waited on by the women in the household. It was interesting to see all these different ideas be portrayed seamlessly through the characters, without anything being explicitly stated.

Another cinematic element that was impactful was the identical opening and closing scenes, where Maria is getting prepped for her arranged marriage. This shows the vicious cycle of poverty experienced by the indigenous; without money, there’s no education. With no education, they do not learn Spanish. With this language barrier lodged in place, there is no way for these people to advocate for themselves. Without advocating and representation, they are stuck poverty. Thus the cycle continues.

As a critique, the movie felt longer than necessary, and probably could have been trimmed down from two hours to one and a half without losing any plot information. Otherwise, this movie was interesting and exciting in the way that unexpected plot twists kept happening.

A Look into the Volcano

The director of Ixcanul Volcano, Jayro Bustamente, beautifully captures what life in the indigenous and rural Guatemalan region near Ixcanul Volcano is like. The plot follows Maria, a young indigenous woman, who is living a life of difficult manual labor as she prepares to be married off to Don Ignacio, the plantation owner who allows her family to live in the region. Although their lives are arduous, they live simply and humbly by surviving off their own lands. Ignacio initially appears to be an honest man with hopes of reaching the United States and improve his life. The story shifts direction when we learn of Maria’s interest in Pepe, a local farmboy, who changes Maria and her family’s life forever.

Jayro Bustamente uses camera techniques and colors to instill in the audience a sense of bleakness in the vast nature filled world in Guatemala. The scenes are shot for extended periods of time and we see just how nature plays an integral part in the lives of these indigenous Mayan peoples. One can see this especially in the family’s reliance on the land’s coffee and corn harvest. Time is oriented around specific harvests and moons, especially in relation to Maria’s pregnancy and it is the main antagonist of the film in a few regards. The scenes that are the most frequently shown are that of the landscape and the labor the indigenous population experience. The sounds that are emphasized are that of nature and it is refreshing to have a film that doesn’t utilize soundtracks to move the plot. As an audience, silence is a very powerful tool that Bustamente uses throughout the film to move the plot and focus on the actions of the characters in the film.

One of the main weaknesses of the film is that it does not seem to show just how Don Ignacio has come into the position he is in. This may be due to poor character development and to add more emphasis on Maria’s story and development, but I felt that it was missing. I feel that by having more interactions with other characters, I may have been able to get  sense of what other issues trouble other indigenous families. The end is however wonderfully executed and let’s us believe that the trials and challenges that Maria faces are more widespread and unfortunately commonplace within Guatemala and perhaps for other indigenous regions of Latin America.

Ixcanul relates to the first unit in a rather moving and troubling way. Indigeneity and identity are the main foci of the film as it is in the PERLA Survey. I believe that the PERLA Survey was intended to provide Mexico and other countries with information pertaining to self-identification and demographic information. There were a number of challenges with the survey that were also presented in the film. The woman who came along with Don Ignacio was tasked with collecting census data and it was clear that she was not well trained to engage with Maria or her family.

The hope is that those involved with the PERLA Survey were sensitive to these indigenous populations and trained their staff to be able to engage openly and comfortably with all groups of people within a region. The way in which it is presented in Ixcanul would leave us to believe that it was less than ideal and not run effectively. It demonstrates that cultural, educational, and linguistic barriers are just a few of the challenges that one may face and need to be overcome when conducting surveys.

Analysis of Ixcanul

The film Ixcanul, written and directed by Jayro Bustamante is a story about a poor indigenous family that lives on a coffee plantation in Central America. The story’s protagonist María is arranged to be married off to Ignacio, the plantation’s supervisor, when she decides to seduce Pepe, a farm-hand who also picks coffee. Pepe is secretly planning to flee to the United States in hopes of a better life and María is mesmerized by his dream of emigrating. After finding out she’s pregnant, María’s life takes a dramatic turn full of exploitation and mistreatment.

Ixcanul is beautiful. For one, the cinematography is incredible. Especially the shots that include the active volcano, Ixcanul in the film’s background emphasizing the volcano’s crucial role in the life of María and her family. For example, a scene early in the film shows María and her mother worshiping the volcano praying for safety and security. Another positive critique with the cinematography is the key moments where the camera angle shows both María and her mother walking through the coffee plantation trails and an asphalt road parallel to the plantation’s border. Angle’s such as this juxtapose modernism and barbarism or the civilized against the uncivilized. It’s obvious that María’s family is unfairly judged by the government agent and the medical staff in the hospital. The discrimination is entirely based on their ethnicity.

Interestingly, Marie’s lover, Pepe, who flees to the United State even sides against his own culture and ethnicity. In private Pepe says to María, “It’s people like you who keep us stuck here”. Pepe desires worldly pleasures, he dreams of a big house with a garden and a car and does not want to live a coffee farmer his entire life. The only negative critique I have of this film is the hypersexuality stereotype of the indigenous people. This portrayal may have been about a lack of education in the community but certain scenes such as the scene in which María humps a tree in the forest just before seducing Pepe came across in poor taste.

The film could be seen as a question about nationality and how race and ethnicity are tie people to specific identifies. Even though Pepe is from the same community as María he identifies as something beyond his ethnicity, almost as if he resents it. However, María and the modernized people [government workers, hospital staff, public claims office employees, etc.] are citizens of the same country, yet María and her family are exploited because of their indigenous ethnicity. The doctor refusing to communicate to María’s parents or accept the mother’s shawl as a token of gratitude in the hospital displays in-group and out-group mentality. The situation is similar to the treatment of Amabella by Senora Valencia in Edwidge Danticat’s The Farming of Bones. Amabella is constantly reminded of her Haitian ethnicity and blackness despite living with a Dominican family in the Dominican Republic and is treated differently.

Analysis of Marcel Camus’ Orfeu Negro

Marcel Camus’ Orfeu Negro is a French film based on the Brazilian play Orfeu da Conceição. The film’s and play’s plot is inspired by the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice taking place in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, during the Brazilian festival Carnival. The story begins with Eurydice fleeing to Rio in search of her cousin, Serafina. Like the myth entails, Eurydice flees to escape Death and believes by running away to Rio she is safe. While looking for Serafina, Eurydice bumps into Orfeu, the film’s protagonist, while riding a trolley. Getting off the trolley Eurydice is given directions to her cousin’s house where Orfeu is a neighbor; How Ironic? As the plot develops Orfeu and Eurydice fall in love similar to the Greek myth. Later on during festival activities, Eurydice is chased by Death who unfortunately finds her among the crowd. Finally, and as a tragic typically ends, Eurydice is killed by Orfeu while trying to rescue her.

Positively critiquing the film I would argue that the choreography and music was spot on, adding a sense of genuine Brazilian culture. I really liked how the same song carried throughout the entire length of the film, which I later learned is a tradition. Songs are sung with accompanying music from floats driving down the streets precedingCarnival and locals follow the music and sing along. Another strength of the film was the use of red lighting during the last scene with Eurydice adding to the drama of death as well as the “red” aspect of the underworld where Eurydice goes.

What I did not like about the film, however, was the way the Afro-Brazilians were portrayed in the film. These prejudices of how Afro-Brazilians are viewed actually relates to our current Unit “Blackness in Brazil”. One of our readings was a chapter of Gilberto Freyre’s The Masters and the Slaves which describes Afro-Brazilians as being obsessed with sexual desire as a side-effect of the institution of slavery and their African origin. This eroticism was heavily depicted throughout the film especially in times of high festivities. Specifically depicted in which the song and dance of the Afro-Brazilians began to sound animalistic. The Afro-Brazilians are also portrayed as impoverished but in an extremely careless manner. For example, Serafina buys a dress over food despite the fact that she’s struggling with money. Surprisingly the entire Rio de Janerio population is singing and dancing without a care in the world not to mention the shanty towns the Afro-Brazilians live in.

I found this film overall confusing, not on the fault of the film necessarily but on my fault for being ignorant about the Brazilian Carnival and its cultural value along with the original Greek myth in which the film/play is inspired from. Seeing this film with this knowledge would have clarified some points at the beginning of the film.  I also found the intent of the film confusing. It’s unclear the director’s intent of the stereotyping such as whether he unknowingly stereotypes the Afro-Brazilians, or is trying to expose the stereotypes by exaggerating them.

Film Analysis

Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus) is a romantic tragedy film made in Brazil by French director Marcel Camus. It is based on the retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth of Ancient Greece. The setting of the movie is the annual Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Orpheus, the hero of this movie, falls in love with Eurydice and together they embark on a tough journey to achieve their love. Eurydice runs away from her house to avoid a man who she claims is trying to kill her. She arrives in Rio to stay with her cousin Serafina and meets Orpheus. Throughout the festivities of the Carnival, they fall in love and face the difficulties of being together. In the end, it is up to Orpheus to make the choice of not looking back to keep Eurydice by his side or to lose her forever.

Camus opens the film by engaging spectators in a scene of tribal drumming and dance. Music plays a big role throughout this movie. It sets the tone for the scenes presented and the emotions of the characters. The movie does a great job of depicting the diversity in Brazil because of the melting pot of different cultures brought by the slaves. This movie also shows the influence of indigenous people in Brazil. This is shown at the end when the Native Americans participating in the ceremony try to contact the spirits by performing rituals that are guiding these spirits. An ethnocentric critique of the movie would be the depiction of the Afro-Brazilian people living in favelas. It shows that they have do not have a care for anything and that they spend most of their time dancing and singing. It does not show the racial discrimination they have to face in everyday life and the hardships of the conditions that they are living in.

Black Orpheus relates to the course material through the depiction of African culture in Brazil. It shows the religion brought to Brazil by African slaves who blended their religious beliefs with Catholicism, which is embedded in Brazilian beliefs. It depicts the warmth and liveliness of the Afro-Brazilian culture that Brazilians have adapted by their taste in music, dance, food, and much more. Overall, the movie was a great take of the old myth with a new twist. I would defiantly recommend this movie to anyone interested to take a peak of the Brazilian culture in 1950’s, and also for the great music in the movie

Film Analysis 2

This film is about a young and beautiful woman, Eurydice, running away from home because Death kept threatening her. She stayed at her cousin Serafina’s house and there she grew to love Orpheus, a guitar playing, Romeo who was engaged to marry Mira. At Carnaval, Death gets to Eurydice, and Orpheus is heartbroken as he carries her corpse back home. Mira, having found out about Orpheus’ affair, throws stones at him and he falls over a cliff and dies, embraced to his love. This is a French-directed film, based on a Brazilian play, based on a Greek myth. This opens up the film to criticism about the Eurocentric view of Afro-Brazilians.

A clearly Eurocentric point of view the Afro-Brazilian people is how they were depicted as jovial, street vendors who were constantly dancing to and playing music. Even in the opening scene on the boat, everyone was dancing as the ship was docking. This coincides exactly with Freyre’s idea of people of African descent, and how this jovial culture adds to the value of Brazilian culture as a whole. Another critique is how the women were portrayed; they were fiery, sensual beings as depicted by the strange foreplay Serafina partook in and by Mira’s constantly displayed cleavage. Again, Freyre wrote at length about the sensuality and eroticism of the slaves brought over from Africa, and how the Portuguese focused on bringing over beautiful slaves so as to populate the empty lands of Brazil with beautiful, mixed babies. Finally, the way poor people in Brazil were depicted was Eurocentric. These people were wasting what little money they had on Carnaval costumes instead of food. Yes, this does occur in real life, but there are reasons for such “madness”. They are buying into the illusion of that day; at Carnaval you can be anyone, even the King, for a day and escape the oppression of poverty. A poverty, as Fernandes claimed, that is imposed on the people through systemic racism. The racial inequality present in Brazil could even be seen in the costumes chosen for Carnaval. The people of Day were dressed in French colonial garb whereas the people of Night were dressed in African clothing. One usually associates Day/Light with Goodness and Night/Dark with Evil, thus perpetuating racial ideologies in a subtle way.

Concerning cinematography, the use of color was integral to the film. When Eurydice arrived, she was adorned with a yellow necklace. The camera then zoomed in on a yellow canary, representative of Eurydice, in a cage with black crows, representative of Death. Then the scene skips to Serafina, and her own yellow canary is acting up. Canaries sense dangerous levels of toxins in the air, and were used in coalmines for years, but Serafina’s canary was sensing the impending danger of Death. The red lights represented the Underworld, which was depicted as a favela in Brazil, which many would consider an accurate comparison. Overall, I felt that this was an interesting film that successfully put a modern twist on an old Greek myth.

The Black Orpheus

Orpheus and Eurydice

Orfeu Negro tells the story of two Latin lovers who parallel the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in this Brazilian adaptation directed by Marcel Camus. The story is set in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro during the Carnaval season in 1959. The two main protagonists, aptly named Orfeu de Babilonia and Euridice, encounter each other by chance on the way to their homes. Euridice has left her home fleeing from a dangerous figure and is visiting her cousin Serafina, while Orfeu is returning to his fiancée Mira and preparing for the Carnaval festivities. Although promised to Mira, Orfeu irresistibly falls for Euridice beauty. Orfeu’s charm and musical talent make him a very admirable character and he risks much in his pursuit of Euridice, which creates tension between other female characters, principally Mira. The tale of two lovers is moving and is an excellent adaptation of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, with many allusions to the myth made throughout the film.

Orfeu Negro depicts a lively Brazilian culture that is rich with music, dance and diversity. It does a decent job of including people of all colors and the norms of the very affectionate and intimate Brazilian way of life, but the question is; How accurate is this French Interpretation? There are many medium to light skinned individuals in this film which demonstrates the racial and ethnic mixture that exists in Brazil that seems to embrace this feeling of equality and joy, but is this the reality of those living in and around Rio de Janeiro? This film also includes ethnocentric depictions of candomblé, religion and omens of Brazilian culture that directly relate to the symbols and emphasis of gods and fate within the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. This was one of the strengths of the film because this is a nuanced adaptation of a classic story and captures the essence of the myth well. One can see this in the names that Camus gives to the characters. Names such as Orfeu and Euridice directly relate to the story and even early on in the film when Orfeu and Mira seek out a marriage documents. The clerk jokes about Orfeu being with a Euridice, but the characters are unaware of how connected their stories truly will be. This is also true of the maintenance man at the end of Orfeu Negro because his role is very similar to that of Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld and Sisyphus as he ceaselessly attempts to clean up the loose pages in the building, or rather the lost souls…

Orfeu Negro relates to the course material because, as we have read in our course, Brazil was a place that depicts itself as truly accepting of people of all colors and backgrounds. The focus in this film is that Afro-Brazilians are a very warm and lively people who value the arts and romance rather than focusing on how one specifically identifies is strongly related to the idea of the false racial democracy. Orfeu doesn’t address the issue of race and ethnicity as it was during the mid-20th century. It avoids that aspect of life entirely in Brazil. This would be the main weakness of the film; it only seems to highlight positive aspects of life in Brazil. It shows how even in media and the entertainment industry, issues of color are not accurately depicted and further blurs or even eliminates the fact that there are any issues at all during the mid-20th century Brazil. Can we trust this French interpretation of Brazilian culture and society, or must we be wary to not stereotype an entire city, let alone an entire country such as Brazil?

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.