El Norte

Hannah Crouser 

This film follows siblings as they journey from Guatemala to the United States of America, and the struggles they face on the trip and once they make it to the North. One common theme throughout this film is the idea of identity. It is mentioned at the beginning of the film that Rosa and Enrique are Mayan Indians. They dress in more traditional clothes with lots of colors, but when the government comes to the village and the siblings are forced to leave the color of their clothes changes to more muted colors. The two are also told they need to act like Mexicans and deny their culture. When Rosa is getting food with Nacha she comments on how she looks too much like an Indian. The only things that the siblings have from their culture are Rosa's hair and Enrique’s hat from his father. 

This struggle between practicing your own culture and embracing the new culture of the place you are is common among immigrants, and even children of immigrants. Many people in the United States think people whose first language is not English are lesser than others. There is also this societal pressure to be like everyone else. Even today kids are bullied for having lunch that looks or smells different from others in their class. Part of this separation of the them and us groups comes from the lack of education surrounding immigration. We are not taught about the importance of immigration and different cultures until middle school. If we want to create a better country and embrace more cultures we need to showcase them in our education. Kids like Rosa and Enrique should not feel like they need to erase their culture just to be accepted here.




 

Comments

  1. Catherine BolzendahlMarch 6, 2023 at 3:29 PM

    Nicely written and I appreciate how you tied the movie together with a clear theme. It raises the question of what is the "culture" of the US? As a land dominated by immigrants, clearly some histories and cultures are elevated over others.

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