“Quinceanera”
Reviewed by: Megan Sperry
Thanks to MTV everyone in the United States now knows what a fabulous super Sweet Sixteen birthday looks like. MTV has even exposed the Latin tradition of the “Quinceanera” to its viewers. But in the film “Quinceanera” directed by: Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland the true tradition of a quinceanera is exposed with a twist.
With all the excitement and planning that is involved with a quinceanera you would think that it is a mini wedding. Like any girl, Magdalena and her friends spent their whole lives planning their big day, and how they would feel to turn 15. The film quiceanera opens by exposing this tradition. It appears to be quite the event that involves everyone in the family.
Shortly into the film, the main character Magdalena falls in love with a young boy. Magdelena, who is about to turn 15 sneaks away after school to hang out with her boyfriend. As some time goes by she starts putting on weight and her cousins hammy down dress that she was going to wear to her quiceanera has no chance of fitting. Her suspicious aunts tell her mother that they think she is pregnant.
As her mother approaches her about the pregnancy Magdalena proclaims that she has never had sex. Her mother then takes her down to the corner store to buy a pregnancy test. After the test she learns that she is in fact pregnant. She maintains her story and starts to believe that maybe it was an immaculate conception. When she tells her boyfriend he doesn’t believe her because they have actually never had sex.
Magdalena’s father kicks her out of the house and she is forced to go live with her great uncle and her gay cousin. The three become a new family and they take care of each other as best as they know how. Magdalena’s pregnancy remains a mystery and proves to be an obstacle for her. Her character clearly has no choice but to step up and become a woman, which is exactly what the idea behind a quinceanera really is.
Quinceanera is a great film because not only does it expose this precious tradition to a new audience, but it also takes on a realistic approach. The main characters in the film were all very strong and well written. However, the acting was poor in some parts (Magdelana’s friends and cousins) but that did not weigh down the good performances that were given by the film's main characters.
- Story- A
- Acting- B
- Visuals- B
- Originality/ Innovation- A-
- Enjoyability- A-
- Overall- B+
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