Spanglish

I know some of you may think this is an absolutely mind-numbing, run-of-the-mill movie which does’t communicate much, though to me, this is actually a terrific movie in that it so perfectly and neatly depicts Mexican's reality in the United States. It gives us insight into how Mexicans lead there lives there as immigrants, what their feelings are, and how integrated they feel in the American community.

There are 2 sorts of Mexican personalities that can be identified throughout the movie. On the one hand we’ve got the “homesick Mexican type”, this role is fulfilled in the movie by the Mexican mother. This lot felt compelled to emigrate to The States due to economic reasons. This mainly why they completely alienate themselves from the American culture. One of the main sources pf alienation is definitely the language. This kind of Mexicans, having their culture deeply rooted in themselves, feel totally reluctant to learn the English language, a fact which makes Mexicans outcasts in the United States. These Mexicans are then not worthy of any qualified, well-paid job, consequently, they are confined to work as cleaning ladies and , if they get lucky, as babysitters. It goes without saying that these Mexicans have a more than miserable life.

On the other hand there’s the “superior Mexican kind”, this role is played by the Mexican little daughter. This group of Mexicans actually have, to my way of seeing it, a huge inferiority complex. They reckon their native culture is worthless and inferior in comparison to the American. Besides, they feel, as Americans do, that Mexican immigrants are the scum of the American multiracial society. These Mexicans madly crave for Americans’ social approval to be fully integrated in their society. The mere thought of picturing themselves as Mexican castaways greatly torments them. In light of this, Mexicans of such a type strive for a native-like American pronunciation and try really hard to closely resemble them in every possible way. They do whatever takes to mingle with Americans, even if this means obliterating their customs and traditions from their memory.

This movie strikes me as a true- to- reality portrayal of the Mexican culture per se. It gives us a quite illustrative picture of how differently some Mexicans react and adapt to the American environment.