Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Before Night Falls
I really enjoyed watching the clip from the movie Before Night Falls for a couple of reasons. I thought that it was really helpful to put into context the readings from the other unit about Cuba and the Marielitos. I read about the history, how Castro let all of these people leave, but I never really understood and envisioned how it actually happened. It was interesting to see how people had to prove themselves to be homosexual and the stereotypes that the officers were required to judge people on. I also like the actor Javier Bardem and, even though I am unfamiliar with the life and story of Reinaldo Arenas, I feel like he delivers a very good performance of a struggling Cuban homosexual writer in New York City and I will probably end up seeing the movie in its entirety.
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4 comments:
I also loved this clip! I'm definitely renting the movie as soon as I get back home for the Holidays! One reason that I really liked it was because it gives a face to the very serious AIDS problem that Latina/os face. A lot of the time people just hear about all of these terrible cases of HIV/AIDS. However, many of the times we just see it as shocking information and not as the actual life someone leads. This movie delineates very well the struggle that was Arenas' life with AIDS.
I agree. The clip that we saw was very interesting because it showed how difficult it was just to come to America and how demeaning the process of leaving was for homosexual men. I thought showing the struggle that Arenas went through and his suicide attempt was (although shocking) necessary to show what he and his partner were going through.
This film (I suspect) was really amazing. I really do plan on seeing the film in its entirety. It is sad that people are discriminated against because of their ethnicity/race or sexuality or even profession. This country is nothing like "freedom". I pray we really do get a CHANGE....
This movie seems like a great insight to how immigrants must feel when coming to America, especially immigrants who were forced to flee their countries for political reasons. It is sad that they have to feel like "aliens" within their own country and then here in ours, where we are supposely the "worlds melting pot." Arenas is a great example of not only newly arrived immigrants but also to the struggle and stereotypes that Latino gay men face once they have decided to "come out." I can't imagine what it must be like to feel you're living in exile no matter where you go.
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