Set in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles, this touching coming of age story deals with the bridging of the sexual threshold. Centering on the quinceañera, or the coming out party for girls in the Latino community, the story honestly portrays the developing sexual curiosity that teens deal with. Though this film is set in a poorer section of the city, the directing/writing team of Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland break down assumptions about their characters, painting an original tale that does not wallow in gang or ghetto clichés.
Magdalena (Emily Rios, upcoming VICIOUS CIRCLE) is approaching her fifteenth birthday and what she really wants for her quinceanera is a Hummer limo. Her father Ernesto (Jesus Castanos), a storefront minister/ security guard, thinks the idea is blasphemous. They are not a wealthy family, so Magdalena has to wear an altered hand-me-down dress from her cousin. However, when Magdalena can't fit in the dress only a few weeks after she was measured, her mother Maria (Araceli Guzman-Rico) suspects that her daughter is pregnant, which turns out to be true. Magdalena's father is devastated, even more so when his daughter insists that she never slept with her boyfriend Herman (J.R. Cruz), who is supportive about the pregnancy, but is afraid to tell his mother about. Magdalena is kicked out her house and goes to live with her great-granduncle Tio Tomas Alvarez (Chalo Gonzalez, BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA), who has already taken in her ostracized cousin Carlos (Jesse Garcia, THE COMEBACKS). The three form their own family, living in the guesthouse of a gay couple named Gary (David W. Ross from the boy band Bad Boys Inc.) and James (Jason L. Wood, TV's MARTHA BEHIND BARS).
There have been many pregnant teen movies made, so what makes this film different from them is how it skirts past conventions. Magdalena's parents are not oblivious to what their daughter is doing. As hard as it might be to believe, there is some validity to Magdalena's protests of innocence. Magdalena struggles to maintain her regular life and try to figure out her next steps with her boyfriend. But she will discover that things don't always go as planned. She finds support from the saintly Tio, who has long outgrown rash judgments about people. Carlos looks like a typical gang banger with his shaved head and 213 area code tattoo across the back of his neck. He steals, but he has his reasons. Why he was kicked out of his parents' home is kept a secret at first, but it's not for the reason one would first expect from seeing him.
To discuss another key plot point, I will give a SPOILER WARNING for the next paragraph, however, I am not going to reveal anything that wasn't given away in many other reviews or even the trailer. But if you want to go into this film blind then this next part might be a detail better left unknown.
Carlos' story mirrors Magdalena's struggle in an interesting way. While she is dealing with her first sexual encounter, so is he, only it's his first homosexual encounter. One day Gary and James invite him to a party and by the end of the night they are engaging in a threesome. Carlos later develops a closer relationship with Gary, who laments about James not being more spontaneous. It's a freeing experience for Carlos, which brings him his first taste of love. The observant Tio sees how the relationship has changed Carlos for the better and is happy for him, which makes Carlos feel accepted for probably the first time in his life. However, he will learn that relationships with older men that started as a threesome aren't always the soundest foundations for lasting relationships.
In it's young performers, QUINCEAÑERA has a small miracle. Rios and Garcia are naturals. Rios is a typical teen, dealing with an atypical situation. She's a good girl, who tries to do the right thing, but gets treated harshly for being unlucky. Rios gives the character a nice mix of innocence, naiveté and quiet, slightly wavering self-confidence. Garcia makes Carlos, a product of his environment. His outer appearance is a survival mechanism that hides the caring and sensitive person underneath. Garcia makes him unashamedly lazy and an underachiever until life wakes him up and forces him to take responsibility for his life and actions. For it's oldest performer, Gonzalez gives a standout performance. He makes Tio a good soul, who has seen and experienced a lot in his 80+ years. He treats all people with simple kindness, as he would want to be treated. As a performer he had small parts in Sam Peckinpah's THE WILD BUNCH and ALFREDO GARCIA, but he spent most of his career working behind-the-scenes as a location or property manager. He channels real life and years of observing other actors on sets into an honest, unforced performance that more experienced actors could learn from.
Sometimes life isn't fair and this film understands that. Nice people don't always win exactly they way they want to, or we want them to. However, like real life, strong people survive and persevere. They make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. When they are also good, good things eventually find them. Magdalena, Carlos and Tio have formed an odd family, but it’s the find of caring and supportive unit that families are supposed to be like.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
