I am amazed at the comments, as many of the commentators seem to want to watch a Hollywood movie, but were unaware that they were watching a film.
First off, yes, this movie is gritty. And it does have its flaws. I can tell, however, that few of the commentators carefully watched this film by a)the sole focus on the character Carlos, and b)the comment that this was an unhappy ending.
This is a story about a family, and it is not so much a docudrama about Mexican immigrants living in Los Angeles as it is an allegory about family life and the struggle to be happy. A key character in this film is the mother, Teresa. She is mentally ill (I believe schizophrenic, but it is never detailed) and she serves as the center for the family. Carlos and Maria want to leave, but stay because of their duty to take care of their mother. The brother (whose name I forget) withdraws, and does not want to face the reality of the family dynamics. But here is where I believe everyone is wrong. There is a happy ending, just not a completely resolved one.
When Teresa commits suicide, she is free from her world, and is free to be with Cantinflas, who accepts her without condition. She now frees Maria, who stayed only to take care of her, who has found love (look closely at the ending montage - her boyfriend is still with her). Pepe has no more power over Carlos, nor over Maria.
The allegory is about the trap that a dysfunctional family (being an allegory, we see a family being dysfunctional in the extreme) can become, and a stronger trap than we are often willing to admit to ourselves. Carlos stands up for himself in the end, not just against Pepe, but also against Jennifer, who merely wants to possess him in a different way. No, I thought the end was rather positive, and I applaud Arleta for not trapping the audience into a stereotypical "happy ending," but rather truly freeing these characters not only from their chains, but also from a pat, Hollywood ending. The scene with Cantinflas and Teresa at the end was quite beautiful. The futures of all of the characters are open, just as anyone else's in the real world.
First off, yes, this movie is gritty. And it does have its flaws. I can tell, however, that few of the commentators carefully watched this film by a)the sole focus on the character Carlos, and b)the comment that this was an unhappy ending.
This is a story about a family, and it is not so much a docudrama about Mexican immigrants living in Los Angeles as it is an allegory about family life and the struggle to be happy. A key character in this film is the mother, Teresa. She is mentally ill (I believe schizophrenic, but it is never detailed) and she serves as the center for the family. Carlos and Maria want to leave, but stay because of their duty to take care of their mother. The brother (whose name I forget) withdraws, and does not want to face the reality of the family dynamics. But here is where I believe everyone is wrong. There is a happy ending, just not a completely resolved one.
When Teresa commits suicide, she is free from her world, and is free to be with Cantinflas, who accepts her without condition. She now frees Maria, who stayed only to take care of her, who has found love (look closely at the ending montage - her boyfriend is still with her). Pepe has no more power over Carlos, nor over Maria.
The allegory is about the trap that a dysfunctional family (being an allegory, we see a family being dysfunctional in the extreme) can become, and a stronger trap than we are often willing to admit to ourselves. Carlos stands up for himself in the end, not just against Pepe, but also against Jennifer, who merely wants to possess him in a different way. No, I thought the end was rather positive, and I applaud Arleta for not trapping the audience into a stereotypical "happy ending," but rather truly freeing these characters not only from their chains, but also from a pat, Hollywood ending. The scene with Cantinflas and Teresa at the end was quite beautiful. The futures of all of the characters are open, just as anyone else's in the real world.