"Mi Familia"

The movie "Mi Familia" portrays a Mexican/American family dealing with daily struggles of living in a society where their ethnicity is not of the majority. It features themes that penetrate to the heart of the immigrant experience in America as well as class and culture differences. It shows us that family ties are eternally binding and can survive the roughest of winds. The characters in the movie can be somewhat stereotypical of most Mexican families, but the central theme of the movie and the characters represented is the binding force of the movie. The women play a very important role in the film since it is through them that one may see what is faced by Chicana's in an Anglo-Saxon world. The Chicano's must face several challenges to survive and continue to break though racial barriers. The Chicana's in the film range from the stereotypical mother, nun, and caretaker to an independent, fierce, and stubborn woman. They have the personalities that make them dynamic characters in the movie.

The first woman seen in the film is Maria, who is swept off her feet by Jose, a landscaping man. She decides to marry Jose and they have two daughters. This is a stereotype that once women are married they are expected to have the husband's children and often times are not true. What makes Maria's character unique is her struggle. The INS carted her off during the infamous operation wetback, which deported anyone resembling Mexican descent to Mexico. At the time she is shipped she is an American, pregnant with a child. She is able to find her way to her aunt's house and survive the ordeal of giving birth to her son without her husband or his support. Not only was she strong enough to endure being shipped off like cattle for no reason than the color of her skin, she has the determination to return to her home. With the wages she made working she heads off home with her son. On the way she is faced with the dilemma of losing her son because of her impatience to wait out the