Question 1:
The kindness of strangers displayed in LA Story is hilarious, tied with fantasy and drama-unexpected attitudes of laughter and generosity shown in the film. while in the rest of the films, the attitude of kindness by strangers highlights morals and human behavior
Question 2:
In this week’s four films, the common ethnic diversity highlighted is the presence of immigrants, particularly Latinos. In Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood’s neighbors are Latinos, Asians, and African Americans. The movie Crossing Over shows diversity regarding immigrants from Mexico, Asia, and Australia. The film Bread and Roses is a story of two Latino sisters depicted in a beautiful bond among two, one being an illegal immigrant and the other trying to protect and support her through. El Norte, travel to the North i.e. USA, is the story of two Mayan Indian siblings who travel from South America to LA in an attempt to start a new life after the American army destroys their village. All four films terrifically portray the struggle of being present in a culturally diverse environment. Another common thread besides immigrants and Latinos is that all four movies depict life in LA.
Question 3:
El Norte, the film of the ’80s being the oldest, depicts LA as a land of opportunity, a land of work where dreams can come true, where all the immigrants get work and bread, living among the whites, serving the whites, and making money for survival. The era of economic liberalization has been depicted. The movie Bread and Roses is a 2000 movie, with more development, and progress regarding the economy but a decline in labor justice and opportunities has shown, portraying work for living more difficult with the rise in the economy. Crossing Over is a 2009 movie, life in LA is a hustle. The economy was touching the skies globally. Everyone wants to come to the land of dreams, the land of opportunity, The North, the LA. The type of residents shown throughout is diverse, including Asians, African Americans, and Latinos.
Question 4:
I found Bread and Roses to be the most compelling of all. The strong and witty character of Maya and Rosa’s warm, loving personality makes the film heartwarming. The courage and struggle behind the survival are worth appraisal. Working as janitors yet carrying the hearts of warriors both the sisters set an example of what family means. Besides that, the film also raises a social, political and economic issue regarding the immigrants, their rights, and justice.
