I'm not going to give you a summary of the movie heres what I thought was great about it and its flaws.
first and foremost, the actors are a great find. Jesse Garcia and Emily Rios pretty much drive this story forward. Carlos's eulogy at the end of the movie almost made me cry due to the the strength in Garcia's portrayal of Carlos. Rios shows great control and maturity for being so young in the business.
now my gripes about this movie. I interpreted this as a story about facing reality. Both leads are being sheltered by their culture and families. Magdelana is pretty much under the control of her father and Carlos is being held back from what he could potentially become because of the society that he lives in. Magdalena's crisis occurs when Herman suddenly leaves her, either by choice or familial influences. Carlos's crisis occurs when he falls for Gary, once he realizes that he doesn't feel the same way, he is forced to rely on what he knows best, his "thug" nature to see him through his heartbreak. Once both these events occur, you see for the first time both Magdalena and Carlos face a much harsher reality that what is normally seen in echo park.
My biggest critique about this movie was its ending. I was definitely hoping for both the leads to find a new way out of their desperate situation, but in the end go back to their protected worlds again. This was pretty much summed up when Magdalena comes to her own Quiceanera in a Hummer limo. I was disappointed at how going through such an ordeal, and still pregnant, that she would go back to her materialistic ways. Although that her father said that he would make it up to her, I hoped that she would outgrow her own wants and needs and learn how to really survive in the real world. Instead the directors give us an ending that was meant to be "happy." what happened to character development? Its like they threw it out the window.
first and foremost, the actors are a great find. Jesse Garcia and Emily Rios pretty much drive this story forward. Carlos's eulogy at the end of the movie almost made me cry due to the the strength in Garcia's portrayal of Carlos. Rios shows great control and maturity for being so young in the business.
now my gripes about this movie. I interpreted this as a story about facing reality. Both leads are being sheltered by their culture and families. Magdelana is pretty much under the control of her father and Carlos is being held back from what he could potentially become because of the society that he lives in. Magdalena's crisis occurs when Herman suddenly leaves her, either by choice or familial influences. Carlos's crisis occurs when he falls for Gary, once he realizes that he doesn't feel the same way, he is forced to rely on what he knows best, his "thug" nature to see him through his heartbreak. Once both these events occur, you see for the first time both Magdalena and Carlos face a much harsher reality that what is normally seen in echo park.
My biggest critique about this movie was its ending. I was definitely hoping for both the leads to find a new way out of their desperate situation, but in the end go back to their protected worlds again. This was pretty much summed up when Magdalena comes to her own Quiceanera in a Hummer limo. I was disappointed at how going through such an ordeal, and still pregnant, that she would go back to her materialistic ways. Although that her father said that he would make it up to her, I hoped that she would outgrow her own wants and needs and learn how to really survive in the real world. Instead the directors give us an ending that was meant to be "happy." what happened to character development? Its like they threw it out the window.