By Mary Milliken
The low-budget, Sundance award-winning film "Quinceanera" may teach Americans more about Latino life in the United States than any other movie -- and they will have two white men who don't speak Spanish to thank.
The film, written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, opens on Friday in the midst of a heated national debate about the tide of immigrants from Latin America and their influence in the United States.
The timing, they say, is just a coincidence. But since the $500,000 production won the top drama and audience awards at this year's Sundance Film Festival, the Latino immigrant issue has become even more of a divisive, political hot potato in this election year.
Set in Echo Park, a Los Angeles Latino neighborhood on the front line of gentrification, the film looks at the "Americanization" of generations of an extended Latino family and their struggles with sexuality, tradition, race and class.
Magdalena (Emily Rios), the daughter of a Mexican-American family, is nearing her "quinceanera," the milestone celebration for Hispanic girls turning 15 ("quince" in Spanish). Among worries over her boyfriend and her dress, she is simply obsessed with getting a Hummer limousine for her big day.
"Often parents are more traditional in their outlooks, while kids are texting each other and wanting Hummer limos for a quinceanera," said Westmoreland. "It shows that when cultures integrate, there are a lot of positive results."
In the run-up, Magdalena discovers she is pregnant, bringing shame to her devoutly religious family. She is forced to move in with a tolerant and elderly Uncle Tomas (Chalo Gonzalez), who has already taken in her rebellious cousin Carlos (Jesse Garcia).
They live in Tomas' back-house rental on a property recently acquired by an affluent white gay couple, pioneers of gentrification. The two worlds quickly collide, threatening the existence of the improvised family and their way of life.
'Perfect Timing'
A real-life quinceanera was precisely what drew the directors to their first Latino-themed project.
Their next-door neighbors in Echo Park asked them to take pictures for a quinceanera and the two men were amazed by the elaborate preparations -- including waltzing practice for the girl and her friends in the backyard weeks in advance.
In a quick succession of events, they hatched their plan to do the movie on January 1, 2005 and were filming by April, picking up talented but unknown actors and helpful neighbors to interpret the culture and language.
"They approached it with an extreme amount of respect," said Rios, the 17-year-old daughter of Mexicans from the nearby San Gabriel Valley who plays Magdalena in her first film. "I think they portrayed our traditions and our culture in such a realistic way."
The directors say the film has a universal message that goes far beyond the Latino world.
"It is really about the ability of a working-class family to adapt and survive to the changing economic conditions that is the hope at the end of the movie," said Westmoreland, who was inspired by British cinema's kitchen sink movement.
But for Rios, tired of seeing Latinos cast as maids and gardeners, the film sends a powerful message about the Latino community amid controversy over its role in U.S. society.
"We were able to show the world that we have so many other talents and I hope it opens doors," she said, adding, "I think it is perfect timing."
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