Finally! The movie A Day Without A Mexican opens today in San Francisco-Bay Area theaters! You may have read my previous post about the film, which opened in Southern California on May 14 ~ the film makers have added a trailer to their website and you can watch it, here. The film's web site is rapidly expanding, adding cool/kitschy merchandise (such as the bumper sticker you see here, as well as mouse pads, caps, t-shirts, etc.), message boards, contact information, and an updated theater list. My friend Alegría, who is a kick-ass attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance, representing migrant farm workers in California's Central Valley, saw the film and said that, rather than some heavy-handed, preachy, "deep film," A Day Without A Mexican is a lighter, satirical exploration of the concept ~ what would California be like if all the Mexicans disappeared? The film satirizes the stereotypical and funny outcomes, such as how desperate rich people would get without their maids and gardeners, to the serious economic consequences of losing about 1/3 of the state's labor force, to the poignant moments such as the social/cultural impact the loss would create in our schools and communities.
The review in this morning's San Francisco Chronicle tailors the discussion to the Bay Area, asking what it would be like if our local Latinos disappeared, such as Carlos Santana, Felipe Alou, Cheech Marin, Dolores Huerta, California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno, San Francisco Supervisor Matt Gonzalez, or Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante. Personally, I would also really miss Latinas/os such as the aforementioned Alegría and her amazing abuelita, Jessie de la Cruz, as well as Salvador Dúran, the Executive Director and Manager Extraordinario of the Mission Area Federal Credit Union, which is growing as a financial resource for Mission neighborhood residents, and John Trasviña, the Director of the Discrimination Research Center who works with me at The Impact Fund in Berkeley, and all my Raza at the Berkeley La Raza Law Journal and La Raza Law Students Association. Ay! And of course, the Tamale Lady in the Mission! (There was even a film made about The Tamale Lady ~ but that is a blog for another day).
Currently, I think the film is only playing in California and Texas ~ if you live in another state, try contacting the filmmakers by email to see when, or if, the movie will have a wider release.
Como siempre, spread the word, spread the love.
Adelante pués!
The idea was good, the attempt was good, but the delivery was not so good. I thought it was way too long and was unsuccessful at being funny.
Posted by: Carlos | Thursday, July 22, 2004 at 12:02 PM