Neoliberalism In Mexico

In an effort to expand trade and create economic growth, the United States, Mexico, and Canada entered into the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, creating the largest free trade zone and setting the stage for massive economic growth in all three countries (NAFTAnow). NAFTA, however, is the poster-child of an even bigger cultural and economic trend called neoliberalism, an idea which promotes the breaking down of trade barriers, privatization of the economy and a cultural shift of focus towards the upper class. Neoliberalism transformed Mexico in the late 20th century, influencing nearly every realm of society, from a complete economic transformation to a shift in Mexican cinematography. Neoliberal policies and ideas have
Prior to NAFTA, Mexican cinema found much of its support in the government who financed cinema during the 1970s and 1980s and supported dissident voices in film. The coming of neoliberalism, however, followed by the implementation of NAFTA, led to the privatization of the film industry. Following this, the withdrawal of government oversight led to the deregulation of ticket prices, causing the cost of attending movies to soar, almost completely excluding the working class from the cinematic economy. This shift in viewership led to the gentrification of Mexican cinema as it became nearly inaccessible to the working or lower class. Facing major changes in audience makeup, the cinema industry was forced to shift their content to be more favorable by the rich, with studios catering more to the upper-class viewer. This shift manifested itself in different ways, from simply a change in focus to an upper-class protagonist, to shifting gender roles portrayed in the movies and the massive contrasts between the rich and poor, underscoring rapidly expanding socioeconomic
Focusing on the lives of two teens, Julio and Tenoch, one rich and one middle-class, and their road trip with Luisa, the movie depicts stark contrasts between the rich and poor as well as a sense of the ignorance of the upper class. With a narrator who intervenes during the movie’s main plot, one can see disparities between the upper-class view of Mexico and the life of the working-class Mexican. Near the beginning of the movie, for example, when Julio and Tenoch are driving and become frustrated encountering traffic, they assume there must be a protest. The more somber reason for the delay, however, is the death of a laborer who is forced to cross the highway everyday to get to work. At another point, offering a narrative on the future for a fisherman who helps the group of friends, the narrator describes that a hotel will soon be built in his community, forcing the family out of work and the man to abandon his job to work as a custodian in the hotel, the only source of labor which will provide him with sufficient