Director Gregory Nava creates a film about the mass violent killings of factory women workers in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, a maquiladora border. This drama is based on true events, and Nava was very interested in this story. He created a film that keeps you on the edge of your seat, anticipating what will happen next. The women in the film work in poor conditions, long hours, and inadequate wages. This film has a connection to the North American Free Trade Agreement, which contributes to the poor treatment of the factory workers. To learn more about the North American Free Trade Agreement, there is a documentary called Maquilapolis:City of Factories, which tells the story of how women in Mexico are being affected by this agreement.
http://www.pbs.org/pov/maquilapolis/film-description/
Lauren Adrian(Jennifer Lopez), is a reporter for the Chicago Sentinel, who is of Latino descent, but does not portray this. For example, she highlights her hair blonde. Editor, George Morgan(Martin Sheen), sends her to Mexico to investigate the homicides of women that work in the factories, and particularly a recent victim of rape and attempted murder. Lauren arrives in Mexico, and contacts a previous co-worker, Diaz(Antonio Banderas), and they join together to report on this story. Lauren quickly learns that the United States government, and the Mexican government play a corrupt role in these murders, and why they are going unsolved. Lauren risks her life for this story by going undercover, for the justice of the murdered victims and for Eva Jimenez, the victim that escaped. Lauren also addresses her true identity that she has blocked out for so many years, and states the truth, that she comes from a family of farm workers from Mexico. Laurens story never gets published, due to the fact of the Free Trade Act and its connection to the U.S. and Mexico for political and financial gain
This film focuses on strong Latina women, compared to many other Chicano films that emphasizes on the males, such as American Me. This film helps to break the stereotype that Chicano women are not just maids, and has a feminism aspect to it when portraying the Chicana and her true role in society. In Jillian Baez’s article, she discusses recent Latina films and how they have evolved from the 20th century and its stereotypical roles, and how they are rising to more feministic roles, such as in the films, Selena, Real Women Have Curves, and Girlfight. She also states that these kinds of films are showing audiences what a real Latina woman is and her real feministic characteristics. Not the made-up stereotypic version that Hollywood has made money off of for so long.
I have three favorite scenes in this movie that relate to this class and this article about Latino stereotypes, and the role of Latina feminism in contemporary films. The first scene that I favor is when Lauren states to Diaz that she wants to go undercover as a reporter, and he returns with how are you going to be undercover, you have blonde hair. A later scene in the movie, Lauren is connecting with her true identity and colors her hair brown so she can go undercover, and look more like a Latina. One of the last scenes is Lauren telling Juan Batto, who she had a romantic relations with, and has also disappointed her, that he was a really bad ****. This film actually failed in the box office, and had many negative reviews. However, I feel that this film sent a message to viewers about the successful breakthroughs that Latina’s are having in Hollywood, and it tells the truth about the harsh acts that Latino/Latina encounter in Mexico.
Baez, Jillian Towards a Latinidad Feminist: The Multiplicities of Latinidad and Feminism in Contemporary Cinema Baez
http://www.pbs.org/pov/maquilapolis/film-description/
I had never heard this film, and I definitely need to go watch it after reading your review. What happens outside of our borders just so that we can get cheap labor is really sickening and the word needs to get out. These workers are sometimes locked in factories for 12+ hours a day with no breaks, regardless of extreme heat and earning almost no compensation. Labor and resources that could be extracted in our own country. The United States is responsible for exploitation all over Latin America, but now that we are in an era of cell phones and social media, I hope we see things change.That’s a bit disappointing that it didn’t get much credit but It seems that films that tell the truth from a non-white perspective don’t tend to do well in the box office.
When this movie came out in theatres it was on my must watch list. Unfortunately I have yet to see it. Your analysis was very insightful. I made me think of how the United States is very selective in terms of the countries it chooses to help. First off, how is it that he United States can readily deploy our troops over seas to send them on a wild goose chase (such as the weapons of mass destruction scavenger hunt) while just south of our border hundreds of women from Juarez have been killed, some raped, beaten and tortured? How is that The United States won’t meddle in that problem?
The fact that this movie bombed at the box office either speak volumes about the films accuracy and acting talent or about our indifference to the sufferings of our neighbors south of the border. I plan to see it to find out.
I like how your post really talked about issues dealing with people, especially women, of Latino or Mexican decent. I definitely like that the main character is a woman. But the conditions of factories in Mexico AND United States are horrible. Although times and laws have changed there are always business owners who demand cheap labor. In the early 1940’s, the US used Mexicans immigrants to provide cheap labor in agriculture. After production periods, the government would send them back to Mexico. Factories, especially the ones that employed mainly women, had extremely harsh working conditions. I have never seen this film, but I can certainly understand why it was a box office fail. These are topics that people truly like it ignore. It is pretty sad.
There’s no doubt a correlation between positive Latino roles and Latino screen, writers, and directors. As this course progressed throughout the semester I was able to see identify which films had a powerful Latino behind the scenes. The trend is that, when there’s a Latino writer or director, it usually produces a positive Latino leading character. It seems that this is the case for Bordertowns. George Nava is not only the writer of the film, but also the producer and director. Lauren Adrian is a smart, strong, and courageous chicana. I agree with you, this film is part of the new wave of Latina Feminist films.
It is sad that people actually work in these conditions and that we as Americans are partly, if not entirely responsible for it. Lauren character seems familiar, a Latina trying to forget who she is, and forget about her past, and even dying her hair to fit in to the American norms. Great post, I really enjoyed reading it.
I have not heard of this movie and after reading your review and the readings in class and identifying the female roles, I am very inclined to watch it – once time permits. It sad to hear how people still work under such conditions in order to make a living for themselves and family. Your review was very insightful in how many stereotypical roles are rising to become more feministic roles. Thanks for your review.
This sounds like one of the movies that we saw in one of the other classes with the IDS classes. I like the point you make about the stereotypes of Mexican women and how they are always portrayed in films as maids. This film shows a different side of how Latina women really are, hard working, intelligent, and educated. It is sad to hear about women being murder in some of those areas of Mexico and how some of the US companies take advantage of the people across the border. Great post!
Maybe the reviews were a plot to discredit this film and focus on other subjects. Your movie focusses on the NAFTA, which is overseen by the US and Mexico. People will tend to believe reviews before facts. This film sound good and i will probably watch it. I am not a big fan of Jennifer Lopez. She is not Jenny from the block. In of her roles she is a true assimilator of white society. If not noticed she usually plays non Latina roles, it is ironic that she made her break through film Call me blind but she does not look white.