The title of this film is a little misleading; in that, it does not really focus on the young Hispanic girl's ceremony celebrating her passage into adulthood. A young girl somehow becomes pregnant off screen with a school boy as she approaches her quinceanera. She does not know how to deal with the situation and has a falling out with her father over it and goes to live with her great uncle instead. Carlos, her gay brother or cousin, also lives with her great uncle. The rest of the movie spends time building the parallel stories of the girl and Carlos. The girl tries to work things out with the school boy, but she eventually realizes that he is just like a lot of other boys, users with no sense of accountability or responsibility. Carlos finds out he's also being played by the two guys renting a rear cottage to the great uncle. It's after this point in the film that things get murky. The conclusion of the film seems to be saying family ties are the strongest in the end, no matter what happens in life. That is especially true for Hispanic families. That seems to be the film's message. However, the film's title gives us the false impression that the focus will be a quinceanera, and it really isn't. Emily Rios plays the girl as a stoic, emotionally confused girl. Jesse Garcia is Carlos, an angry young Latino male on a road to nowhere. Chaolo Gonzalez is perfect as the great uncle who realizes his family is torn apart. It's a Sundance award winner, but the film is a little misleading and ends abruptly as well. **1/2 of 4 stars.
Review of Quinceañera
Quinceañera
(2006)
Quinceanera Not Just About Female Passage Into Adulthood
22 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers