Comments for IUP Film Studies Blog

Comment on el norte by Matt Pangman

Matt Pangman — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:47:39 +0000

I noticed the parallels between the two films, Journey of Hope and El Norte. The characters in both films decided to leave there homes in hopes of finding a better life in another country. They had no idea what they were getting into either, both had to undergo a rough and dangerous travel to their desired locations, illegally, which in turn let to the character’s deaths. In El Norte, the rat bites in the tunnel, and in Journey of Hope, the freezing climate ended the young boys life. Not to mention, when they get their, its nothing like what they expected.

Comment on el norte by Kirstie Moss

Kirstie Moss — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:53:21 +0000

I think that both films can be paralleled to each other. Both have families that dream of a better life in another country. Both fathers in the films think that there can be more to life than working hard manual labor. I think that it’s interesting to see two different cultures go blindly into the same setting. Both of them want to have the better life with money and cars that they dream of, but have no idea what awaits them. Neither of the families had solid plans for when they arrive in the other country and they were both aware that they would be living as illegal immigrants. The films also had the death of younger family members to show how harsh conditions getting into another country. Both deaths were done because of the journey, even if one took longer than another. I think that both films can be seen as strong immigration films to show that the dream of a better life may only be a dream and not a reality.

Comment on el norte by leahrudolchick

leahrudolchick — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:33:58 +0000

Although I had arrived 25 minutes into the film, I feel as though I was able to grasp the main intentions of the film. I was taken aback by the intimacy that the brother and sister shared, however, i understand why they were portrayed that way after learning that their other family members were murdered. As soon as they had to crawl into the sewer i knew something bad was going to happen. I thought they were going to drown once I saw the rats fleeing from another tunnel, but after the rats were crawling on them, I suspected that someone was going to get a horrible disease and die from it (I was right). I was able to catch many parallels from Journey of Hope to El Norte such as the loss of family (obvious), the naivete of the travelers, and also the greediness of humans.

The brother and sister were naive in trusting the initial coyote who tried robbing them. to trust a complete stranger that much was very strange to me. This was very similar in the way the family trusted the men to get them through the mountains safely. I also noticed that greed was a driving factor in both movies. Greed drove the evil men to take more money and advantage of the family in Journey to Hope and greed also drove the brother to put his freedom and chance at a green card before his family loyalty. While he came to his senses at the end, ultimately it was too late.

Comment on el norte by Junene Taylor

Junene Taylor — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:27:11 +0000

El Norte is definitely in the same vein of Journey to Hope. A few examples: Both have families with a dream to escape to greener pastures, both end in sorrow, both have a dangerous trek to the ‘promised land’, and both feature villains who prey on the vulnerable travelers. It was sad to watch El Norte because I was expecting it to unfold the way that it did. I had a feeling Rosa would die and that Enrique would be left in the world alone.
While watching the film early on I wondered if giving them hope of a better life in the north was a bad thing. In the end I figured it was bad for them because it was painted as an easy life to live-which is very untrue for immigrants who don’t have green cards. Even those born in ‘The North’ struggle to live the American Dream, so this story was sad to watch all the way around.
The rat attack scene was too much for me to handle but I figured it had to be significant since it lasted so long. I was surprised that Enrique survived it-then again he might have died later from those injuries-we don’t know. I want to believe that if the film would’ve followed him through life, we would have seen Enrique becoming a success-getting a good job, getting his papers and living well. Or at least that is how I plan to imagine his future, since he lost so much already-it simply isn’t fair.

Comment on el norte by brittanymadera

brittanymadera — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:23:51 +0000

I have to mention that, although I thought the cinematography and the story itself was very worthwhile, I could not get past some of the bad acting.

I think it’s fitting that this class has come full circle, starting and ending with a story of illegal immigration and exploitation. As other people have noted, the films are quite similar. Both films ended with the death of a completely innocent character, one that we had grown close to during the film. And although both families left their country with the hope that things would be better elsewhere, I think Rosa and Enrique had stronger reasons for doing so.

With both films, we are left with a sense of “Now what?” Although there were many funny parts during the two films, they both end on a depressing note, with all of the laughter gone.

Comment on spixploitation films by leahrudolchick

leahrudolchick — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:19:17 +0000

I had arrived to this presentation roughly a half of an hour early,(oops) but this allowed me to talk to our presenter for a small bit. He had explained to me that having some exposure to critical theory and analysis would help in understanding his presentation. While he was correct in this, I was still in awe over how easy it was to miss some of the subtle Latin racism. I have seen all of the movies that he drew examples from and con honestly say that the only movie that I had picked up on the “Spixplotation” was Gran Torino. I was also very surprised at the small clip that he showed from that movie as the whole beginning of the movie is riddled with racist comments and slurs toward the Latino culture. I learned through this presentation how important it is to not just casually glance over the side comments made off scene as made evident in Nixon. Directors have a legitimate reason for including everything that they do in films, why they would choose to include such racism is beyond me, but perhaps it is to show how desensitized, arrogant, and rude we have become as a nation and a culture, or perhaps it is to further desensitize us.

Comment on el norte by hmg350

hmg350 — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:38:55 +0000

El Norte is very devastating just as Journey To Hope was as well. I can definitely see the parallels. I’m sure it must be overwhelming when leaving your birth country and venturing to a world completely different like the United States. The coyote who was trying to steal Enrique and Rosa’s money is comparable to the “coyote” of Italy who stole Haydar’s money as well. The language barriers seem to always be an issue as well. I think I felt a lot worse for Enrique, seeing as how he had his parents taken from him at the very beginning of the film. Even though his family wanted to journey to America because even the poor had toilets and cars, Enrique wouldn’t have been happy staying in Guatamala without his family. Haydar had made the decision that he just wanted to go.

Comment on spixploitation films by Hala B.

Hala B. — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:36:15 +0000

My mind was blown the minute I sat in my seat. I kept thinking about the presentation even after it ended. I do try to force myself to think of racism, islamophobia, homophobia, sexism..etc. However, I have never, and this is I’m ashamed of, thought of latinophobia. And maybe it was hard to notice that. The presenter mentioned the Latinos are portrayed as inanimate objects like the clip we saw in Meryl Streep’s movie. I learned that next time I watch a movie I need to look at the background and not only the words they say. Throughout the whole presentation I was waiting for him to say what is it about 9/11 that created latinophobia. How did 9/11 trigger/create latinophobia? Or is it just a time period?

Comment on kebab connection by hmg350

hmg350 — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:07:35 +0000

I thought Kebab Connection was a really great movie to show all of the issues we have been talking about. Even though it was incredibly funny, I think all of the issues really sank in. Even though pregnancy can be a huge drawn out issue, this film showed how a family can overcome their racial differences and they can live happy lives.
I enjoyed how the commercials were incorporated into the beginnings and endings of the film. I liked how the camera portrayed the months of the main character and his drug use, by playing with the use of time and always showing him in the same T shirt, pondering whether or not he should go down the hall to get a beer.
I also enjoyed how the Greeks and Turks lightly showed their indifference to each other by competing in restaurants. I think that is something that so many people can relate to. It seems like a Greek restaurant is always in competition with another restaurant. All in all though, the film used so many different themes and all of the loose ends seemed to tie in at the end. Especially with Romeo and Juliet.

Comment on el norte by Kim Stubbs

Kim Stubbs — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:56:58 +0000

I definitely saw parallels between this movie and Journey of Hope. Both movies dealt with families trying to move on to a better life, or faced dire consequences of staying in their own homes. I was shocked that the father died so early on in El Norte, and then the mother and most of the women in the village were taken away. I was expecting Enrique to die not long after, and that Rosa was going to be the main character of the film and the story would follow her.
Like in Journey of Hope, I kept expecting the people that Enrique and Rosa asked for help to betray them or turn them over to police or worse, but it often didn’t happen. It seemed the only time they were betrayed was by the man who offered to take them across the border, and then attempted to rob them. I especially kept expecting Jaime to double-cross them, especially when he kept badgering Enrique to take the job in Chicago. It felt like he was trying to separate the siblings, and I was glad when Enrique didn’t take the job. Still, it was only after things started to go downhill that I realized that Jamie hadn’t been trying to trick them (or maybe he had) but that Enrique should’ve taken the job in Chicago so he could’ve gotten a green card.
After the rat attack in the tunnels, I was surprised that they both came out alive and that the rat bites hadn’t left any lasting effects, but my fears were confirmed when Rosa became sick. After that, I knew she probably wouldn’t survive to live to see the end of the movie. This was quite similar to Journey of Hope where it was the innocent, hopeful one that suffered the ultimate sacrifice in order for true freedom that could only be achieved in death.