2008 Woodie Awards
'Quinceañera' not just another coming of age story
Megan Gallagher
Issue date: 9/21/06 Section: Arts
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Frilly dresses, giggling schoolgirls, plastered-on smiles, dirty dancing, familial pride - such are the eclectic party favors of Quinceañera. As the film's audience members become impromptu guests at such an event during the opening minutes, it is immediately clear that the hospitality will remain constant throughout the following hour and a half. Indeed, Quinceañera develops its characters and events with such care and sincerity that it is hard to slip away once the party has begun.
As Magdalena awaits her quinceañera, the traditional Mexican celebration for a girl's fifteenth birthday, she is forced to mature much more quickly than her pending age would imply. Finding out that she is pregnant, though she insists, to the dismay of her family, that her virginity is intact, Magdalena must come to terms with her simultaneous adulthood and childhood, as arbitrary as both terms may prove to be. As her stomach grows, so does the mystery regarding the child's conception - a product of either supernatural forces or teenage lust. The familial bond that is meant to be on display at her upcoming Quinceañera thus breaks, causing Magdalena to seek refuge in her accepting great uncle and her estranged gay cousin.
As Quinceañera progresses, it becomes clear that it is much more than a run-of-the-mill coming-of-age story; rather, it is a beautiful and poignant portrayal of relationships, independence and the balance therein, as Magdalena forges unlikely alliances and assumes unprecedented responsibility. Perhaps even more compelling than the story of Magdalena, however, is the parallel one of Carlos, her lovesick cousin, a character who exhibits more psychological depth than the majority of those that have seen the light of cinema this year. Carlos' conflicting feelings of betrayal by his family and duty to protect his roots beautifully complement Magdalena's metamorphosis from naiveté to maturity. Increasingly satisfying as it progresses, Quinceañera poetically and thoughtfully explores family dynamics, alienation, tradition, faith, love and relationships, becoming one of the most unforgettable films of the year in the process.
Quinceañera is currently playing at the Pleasant Street Theater in Northampton.
3.5 stars out of 4
As Magdalena awaits her quinceañera, the traditional Mexican celebration for a girl's fifteenth birthday, she is forced to mature much more quickly than her pending age would imply. Finding out that she is pregnant, though she insists, to the dismay of her family, that her virginity is intact, Magdalena must come to terms with her simultaneous adulthood and childhood, as arbitrary as both terms may prove to be. As her stomach grows, so does the mystery regarding the child's conception - a product of either supernatural forces or teenage lust. The familial bond that is meant to be on display at her upcoming Quinceañera thus breaks, causing Magdalena to seek refuge in her accepting great uncle and her estranged gay cousin.
As Quinceañera progresses, it becomes clear that it is much more than a run-of-the-mill coming-of-age story; rather, it is a beautiful and poignant portrayal of relationships, independence and the balance therein, as Magdalena forges unlikely alliances and assumes unprecedented responsibility. Perhaps even more compelling than the story of Magdalena, however, is the parallel one of Carlos, her lovesick cousin, a character who exhibits more psychological depth than the majority of those that have seen the light of cinema this year. Carlos' conflicting feelings of betrayal by his family and duty to protect his roots beautifully complement Magdalena's metamorphosis from naiveté to maturity. Increasingly satisfying as it progresses, Quinceañera poetically and thoughtfully explores family dynamics, alienation, tradition, faith, love and relationships, becoming one of the most unforgettable films of the year in the process.
Quinceañera is currently playing at the Pleasant Street Theater in Northampton.
3.5 stars out of 4
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