Posted April 23, 2016 by pcarloss
My Family (Mi Familia ) is a film co-written by Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas, directed by Francis Ford Coppola (another non-Hispanic/Latino).
This epic film traces over three generations an immigrant family’s trials, tribulations, tragedies and triumphs. Jose and Maria, the first generation, come to Los Angeles, meet, marry, face deportation all in the 1930s. They establish their family in East L.A., and their children Chucho, Paco, Memo, Irene, Toni, and Jimmy deal with youth culture and the L.A. police in the 1950s. As the second generation become adults in the 1960s, the focus shifts to Jimmy, his marriage to Isabel (a Salvadorian refugee), their son, and Jimmy’s journey to becoming a responsible parent.
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My Family (Mi Familia ) is one of the few “theatrical” movies (not a documentary) that recognizes a very important character to the protagonist (Jose Sanchez) as the scene opens with the migration of Jose to Los Angeles to stay with a distant relative known as “El Californio” (The Californian) so named because he was here in Los Angeles, California when California was Mexico. He truly belonged here.
Jose meets and marries Maria and starts a family. While on an outing to the grocery store in 1933 Maria is swept up in a I.N.S. raid and despite her protests that she was a U.S. citizen and pregnant with a family at home is loaded onto a train box car and deported to Central Mexico. Determination and faith are the catalyst for Maria to return to her familia in Los Angeles. She professes to an aunt that she locates and who takes her in that she must have her child and return to her family. Her aunt advises Maria she must have faith and that faith will determine if she is to return to her family.
Meanwhile, in East Los Angeles, her husband Jose and two children are living with the Californio who passes away and leaves his home and estate to Jose. His one request was that he be buried behind his house and under the garden. His marker stated he was born in California when it was Mexico and where he lies is still Mexico.
Superstitious practices are performed when while in her attempt to return to Los Angeles Maria and baby Chuco while attempting to cross, fall into the rain swollen river. The baby nearly losses his life.
1958 – Wedding of Sister Irene – enter antagonist Butch Mejia, who with his gang attempts to crash the wedding. The two characters Chucho and Butch after a lot of testosterone filled posturing promise to encounter each other again.
The struggle between the old ways and the “modern” ways is a major factor being addressed in these scenes. Jose has struggled first in his walking from Mexico to Los Angeles California. Finds work as a gardener, a back breaking job and manages to raise six children. Jose is a proud man. a man who is proud of his children his oldest son who is in the navy, an aspiring writer (the narrator of the movie played by Edward James Olmos), older daughter Irene who is now married, younger daughter Toni who has become a nun, two younger sons, Memo who is the more studiest type (becomes an attorney) and Jimmy the youngest child. The child that is destined to give the family heartache is the child who nearly lost his life crossing the river, Chucho. Maria claimed at the time that the spirit of the river wanted his life and that he was living on borrowed time.
The clash of the times and cultures comes to a head and fractures the family as Chucho who is a nineteen-fifties gang banger – referred to as a “Pacheco” the derogatory term used at the time, not unlike the Pachuco’s of the Zoot Suit era. The breaking point is when Jose is notified by the police that Chucho is selling marijuana. Jose confronts Chucho and states that he did not raise his family to be delinquents and disgraceful, he did not sacrifice for that. Chucho states he does not care and does not want to be a “Mexican”. He does not want to be like his siblings but most of all he does not want to be like Jose, a fight ensures and Chucho is banished from the home.
An encounter with Butch ends up in a fight that takes Butch’s life. A police dragnet for Chucho ends in Chucho being killed in front of Jimmy and changing Jimmy’s life, from an innocent child to a juvenile delinquent. The spirit of the river had claimed Chucho’s life. Breaking jimmy’s heart and his spirit.
Jimmy Smits plays Jimmy as an adult (20 years later) – an angry bitter man who has served time in jail. Toni who has since left her Order and married an ex-priest is working to help immigrants in their deportation plights. Jimmy is convinced by his sister Toni to help Isabel Magana (a Salvadorian immigrant fighting deportation) by marrying her to allow her to stay in the U.S. Despite Jimmy’s effort to not become emotionally attached to Isabel, in spite of his defenses they do end up in a relationship as they share their grief that they experienced as children. Isabel becomes pregnant and Jimmy becomes a “husband”. Isabel dies during childbirth, causing Jimmy to not want to bond with his child. Jimmy gets arrested and refuses to be involved in his sons life. When Jimmy is released from prison he visits his parents home who are caring for his son. Upon seeing his son, the love of a parent takes over Jimmy’s heart. Now the tables have turned and his son Carlitos does not want to know Jimmy. Despite many attempts he is unsuccessful trying to win Carlitos over, until one day Jimmy decides to leave and Carlitos realizes that he will be losing his father again.
Guillermo “Memo” now an attorney brings his Anglo fiancee and her parents from Bel Air, California to meet the entire family. The Sanchez family is portrayed as very down to earth and the children as extremely rambunctious and unmanageable.
The journeys, trials and tribulations that the Sanchez family undergo is a reality that shows the diversity and cultural changes that happen in America. The migration of the patriarch Jose to Los Angeles, the struggle of Maria to return to her family after being deported. The changes of time and culture. The rough times that Chucho and Jimmy experienced in their bouts with the law. The changes that education can bring to families as portrayed by Memo who attended U.C.L.A. and becomes an attorney. As stated by Jose during Irene’s wedding – the Greatest riches a man can have is “Mi Familia” My Family.
This film portrays stereo typical scenes of a home with bright colored rooms. Superstition and mystical beliefs are sprinkled throughout the film, in the scene when the river spirit tries to take Chucho, second when the owl (who is said to represent death) appears when Chucho is killed by the police, again, when Isabel dies during child birth Paco (Edward James Olmos) shares that Maria refers to the women who die during birth “Cihuateteo” (Aztec folklore) as helpers of the Sun to set.
Who belongs here in California really? Hmm? We do “We are Californios”
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Seems like a great movie! I have never seen My Familia, but after reading your blog, I am more interesting in watching it. In addition, I think that Edward James Olmos is a very seasoned actor. It appears that many movies have stereotypes mixed throughout the dialogue, and other props are used as you mentioned that portray other superstitious beliefs and propaganda. The filming industry uses stereotype and unfortunately the stereotypical stratification feeds the class, gender and race problems in America.
I enjoyed reading your post. This movie really hits home for me. I am the son of a gardener named Jose. My father crossed the border during the early 80’s and was granted amnesty. This film definitely portrays stereotypes of the Latino/a but I feel it also shows the multidimensional aspects of the Latino. This film does well to show the differences and similarities between generations and individuals in the same family.
Great review of your film. I have never even heard of this movie before but, in reading your review, I’d like to watch it. So many family dynamics taking place and the superstitions that unfold, I love those story lines. I believe in superstitions and all of that stuff, I find it to be so interesting. Can’t wait to see this movie for myself and get to see how the 3 generations interact.
You did a great job analyzing that movie for us. I have never seen it but interestingly enough feel as though I can somehow relate to it based on some of the stories I have been told about my own family. It sounds like this movie is a positive and realistic representation of a Mexican-American family’s experience. I love that fact that El Californio was included in this film. His presence in the film accentuates a great truth; that California was once on Mexican land, until it was taken away.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is surprising how in a regular length movie, the characters are developed to the extent that we are attached to them and love them for who they are. I have been struck over and over by the religious symbolism that was built into the structure of the film´s characters and story. José receives a message from an angel that María is pregnant with a very special child. María gives birth in a far off country because the authorities did not want them to be in their own country. She names him Jesús Sanchez, Chucho for short, not a name chosen by his father. When he grows up, he is a leader of a group called Los Apostoles, loves children and loves to play with them, hates the injustice prevalent in society, He is turned in by his own people, and killed by the ruling party to intimidate and make a point.