Watching Coco
When Blackpanther came out, I was really excited to go see it, and I told my son all about the importance of the movie and why we were going to see it. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't do the same for Coco.
I knew Coco was a story based on Dia De Los Muertos, with collaborations and contributions from respected Mexican -Americans, but Mexicans get so terribly represented on movies, that I have stared to feel ambivalent about Mexican characters on movies or TV.
Most of the time, Mexicans on movies are loud, they dance flamenco (not Mexican music), they are "spicy", and they go around yelling Ole.... just so we are clear, in Mexico we never yell Ole, that's also a Spanish thing. Also, please note that when I say Spanish, I mean from Spain.
Anyway, we finally did watch Coco this past weekend, and let me tell you.... it was amazing!! It was so much more than I was expecting and I'm still crying about the end of the movie.
First off, the town at the beginning of the movie looks exactly like my Grandparent's hometown. It's colorful, but not overly exaggerated with brilliant screaming colors. The humble, yet beautiful houses, full of families. The town also gets all decked out for Dia de Los Muertos.
The Altars/ Ofrendas were also so accurate and beautiful! I loved how much detail they put into the food, the bread, the flowers. It was so beautiful! The churches were gorgeous and full of intricate details of the churches in Mexico.
The people were also so gorgeously beautiful! Just like people in Mexico are. They were not cartoonish interpretations of Mexican people (Yes, I know I am talking about cartoons). And the Great Grandma, she looked exactly like my Grandmother, which made the ending that much more heartbreaking. I was a puddle of tears.
Not that it matters anymore, but Coco has my full endorsement. You should go watch it, but bring tissues, the ending is happy/ sad.
I knew Coco was a story based on Dia De Los Muertos, with collaborations and contributions from respected Mexican -Americans, but Mexicans get so terribly represented on movies, that I have stared to feel ambivalent about Mexican characters on movies or TV.
Most of the time, Mexicans on movies are loud, they dance flamenco (not Mexican music), they are "spicy", and they go around yelling Ole.... just so we are clear, in Mexico we never yell Ole, that's also a Spanish thing. Also, please note that when I say Spanish, I mean from Spain.
Anyway, we finally did watch Coco this past weekend, and let me tell you.... it was amazing!! It was so much more than I was expecting and I'm still crying about the end of the movie.
First off, the town at the beginning of the movie looks exactly like my Grandparent's hometown. It's colorful, but not overly exaggerated with brilliant screaming colors. The humble, yet beautiful houses, full of families. The town also gets all decked out for Dia de Los Muertos.
The Altars/ Ofrendas were also so accurate and beautiful! I loved how much detail they put into the food, the bread, the flowers. It was so beautiful! The churches were gorgeous and full of intricate details of the churches in Mexico.
The people were also so gorgeously beautiful! Just like people in Mexico are. They were not cartoonish interpretations of Mexican people (Yes, I know I am talking about cartoons). And the Great Grandma, she looked exactly like my Grandmother, which made the ending that much more heartbreaking. I was a puddle of tears.
Not that it matters anymore, but Coco has my full endorsement. You should go watch it, but bring tissues, the ending is happy/ sad.
I cried 5 separate times when I watched Coco. We saw it in theaters and it was truly gorgeous. I was so touched by the nuance of the story line, by how we have to balance family, tradition, and our own paths and dreams. And let me tell you, I was SO FREAKING HAPPY for all the little Hispanic and Latino kids I saw in that theatre. I was so happy they had this beautiful, funny, mainstream movie to watch and see their own selves in. Everything about the experience just moved me so much!
ReplyDeleteYes!! It was so gorgeous!! It was an excellent movie, and I'm glad to have a movie like this for my son and nieces!
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