Chicano movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Chicano movie - Essay Example Several reasons abound why El Norte and The Official Story movies were made especially in the reflection of women’s lives from different perspectives. For instance, in both movies, the directors were attempting to expose the plight of women in the face of adverse atrocities caused by civil war when there is little intervention (Elena & Marina 112). El Norte reflects the lives of two native youths forced to escape Guatemala at the start of the 1980s because of political violence and ethnic bloodletting that eventually resulted to Guatemala Civil War. The decision to escape depicts a serious desperation that characterizes the fate of the two lead characters that are both young and confused in life. On the other hand, The Official Story is premised on the Dirty War in Argentina that resulted to the forced disappearance of leftist rebels who opposed the government. In that aspect, the upper middle class family that has adopted an illegal child comes out as aloof from the unlawful stealing of children from jail after the arrests of their parents. The hypocrisy is evident in Alicia, the wife of a businessman called Roberto who is not aware of the ongoing suffering and pillage in her country until her colleague and another student remind her of the ongoing war. It means the films were also made to expose how women impact the unity of families during serious conflicts such as wars. Telling the above stories is important because they recreate a new narrative that enables viewers to interpret the two civil wars in different ways. It also raises the awareness of empathizing with women and families that suffered such as Rosa and Enrique in El Norte who struggle to find a home after running away from Guatemala. Narrating the stories equally reveal the relationship between the disintegration of families and how it affects social structures as noted with Alicia the school teacher together with her businessman husband in The Official Story. The couple is challenged to t ake a decisive action in understanding how the children of other dissidents disappear (Hart 189). They also demand to comprehend why they own Gaby yet her family may have been killed in the forced disappearance perpetrated by the state. Another reason for telling the stories is to uncover the truth and reality that occurred during both civil wars that targeted defenseless victims such as Zaide and David who are caught up during their youth. In the Dirty War, the stealing of children meant that the state in collusion with the military junta had no mercy to protect any group of civilians irrespective of their age. This necessitated ruthless targeting of orphaned kids such as Gaby now struggling to identify their real parents. On that consideration, telling the stories from a woman’s perspective is an attempt to induce both sympathy and empathy in the state of affairs where the government has abandoned her citizens. In El Norte, for example, the story is set in San Pedro, a smal l Guatemalan village where the Xuncax family lives peacefully while picking coffee. The family belongs to the Mayan tribe and is ravaged by the exploitation that involves the government