Throughout life, we often find ourselves struggling with life - be it monetary, familial, loss, or any strife that we've encountered. Mi Familia (My Family) portrays the multi-generational adversities experienced by The Sanchez family in Los Angeles. Struggling to live day to day with the hectic family, the Sanchez's experience loss, life, tearful moments, and joyous adventures. Caution: to avoid spoilers, don't read this until you finish the film.
I'd like to talk about the acting in the film. Taking the audience along for the ride through the emotional turmoil in the death of Chucho, Jimmy must cope with the death of his brother. Smitz's acting was on top shelf display here, from tears of pain to tears of joy. Esai Morales was great as well as the part of Chucho, playing the rough-around-the-edges rebel without a cause, fresh out of the slammer. His death in the film plays an essential role because it causes the family to come closer together than ever before.
The appearance of Carlitos is an intense experience as Jimmy puts all of his own life's priorities to make room for his lost son. The symbolism is great here: through death comes new life. Chuco's death brought along the discovery of Carlitos.
I think the most powerful moment in the movie is when the patriarch of the family, Jose, tells his wife, "We're lucky." It really puts life in check. A family who has been through the turmoil and harmony is considered lucky in the eyes of Jose. Through his journey from Mexico to the US, he looks back at all of the experiences he's had, good and bad, and wouldn't trade them for the world.
Overall, a very powerful and emotionally moving film. I hope you guys enjoy this emotional rollercoaster of a film, and maybe compare the life of the Sanchez family with yours.
I'm not sure I follow your line of thought about the symbolism of Chucho's death and how it supposedly brought along the "discovery of Carlitos"? Carlitos wasn't born until, I don't know, well over twenty years after Chucho's slaying, and was the result of Jimmy's discovery of love (through his saving of refugee Isabel) and not (unless I'm mistaken) directly related to Chucho's death whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteI guess what I mean is that a void that was present in Jimmy's life was filled - although it took time for that hole to be filled by Carlitos.
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