El Norte Critical Analysis
Eva Cooper
July 16, 2012.
El Norte
Critical Analysis
El Norte is an American independent film about a Guatemalan family. The film, directed by Gregory Nava, was first released at the Telluride Film Festival in 1983. El Norte was the first American independent film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay (IMDb.com, Inc., 1990-2012). The film El Norte is about a brother named Enrique and a sister named Rosa. Enrique and Rosa are on a quest to get out of the ethnic and political repressed Guatemala and attempt to escape to the North where they can live the “American dream.” Will Enrique and Rosa live the “American dream” once they escape to the North? Can an illegal immigrant achieve the “American dream?” The answers to these questions depend on the viewer.
El Norte is a movie depicting the struggle faced by many people from Central and South America who are trying to get inside the United States. Viewers often generalize the films point of view and see it as representing the whole ethnic consciousness of Latino cultural heritage. But Latin American culture within the United States is more diverse than the same. While Latinos share some of the same Latino cultural history as do Guatemalan refugees, these two groups identities should not be confused as the same. The Indian culture that is depicted in El Norte emphasizes on obeying and respecting parents and elders. They dress in native costumes and family is what matters the most in the Indian culture. The Indians speak a local dialect that is different from Spanish. Peace and love is only found in the homes of Indians living in the Guatemalan village. The village is run by the rich landowners. The landowners treat the Indians like slaves; the Indians lives mean nothing to the landowners.
El Norte is divided into three acts. The first, titled “Arturo Xuncax,” is set in an Indian village in Guatemala. Arturo Xuncax is an Indian coffee picker and is the father of Enrique and Rosa. Arturo can no
July 16, 2012.
El Norte
Critical Analysis
El Norte is an American independent film about a Guatemalan family. The film, directed by Gregory Nava, was first released at the Telluride Film Festival in 1983. El Norte was the first American independent film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay (IMDb.com, Inc., 1990-2012). The film El Norte is about a brother named Enrique and a sister named Rosa. Enrique and Rosa are on a quest to get out of the ethnic and political repressed Guatemala and attempt to escape to the North where they can live the “American dream.” Will Enrique and Rosa live the “American dream” once they escape to the North? Can an illegal immigrant achieve the “American dream?” The answers to these questions depend on the viewer.
El Norte is a movie depicting the struggle faced by many people from Central and South America who are trying to get inside the United States. Viewers often generalize the films point of view and see it as representing the whole ethnic consciousness of Latino cultural heritage. But Latin American culture within the United States is more diverse than the same. While Latinos share some of the same Latino cultural history as do Guatemalan refugees, these two groups identities should not be confused as the same. The Indian culture that is depicted in El Norte emphasizes on obeying and respecting parents and elders. They dress in native costumes and family is what matters the most in the Indian culture. The Indians speak a local dialect that is different from Spanish. Peace and love is only found in the homes of Indians living in the Guatemalan village. The village is run by the rich landowners. The landowners treat the Indians like slaves; the Indians lives mean nothing to the landowners.
El Norte is divided into three acts. The first, titled “Arturo Xuncax,” is set in an Indian village in Guatemala. Arturo Xuncax is an Indian coffee picker and is the father of Enrique and Rosa. Arturo can no