Reviews - Trinity University

Mi Familia/My Family
American home will inevitably affect the manner in which gender
politics are negotiated within the family.
The opening shots of Mi Familia depict the river and bridge
that connect East and South Los Angeles, providing a visual
metaphor for the border and the space that separates and
links Mexican, Mexican-American, and white culture. From
the outset, Paco’s voice-over narration sets the patriarchal
tone of the film. He represents the collective voice of the family,
inevitably keeping the film male-centered and denying female
gender representation or opportunities for women to
voice desire or agency (except in time of crisis or pain). Recurring
scenes of planting and tending corn function to culturally
connect past and present spaces, Mexico and the
United States. Corn represents the place of male privilege in
the family. In times of crisis, men seek out the growing stalks
of corn, which represent sanctuary and remembrance, to validate
their cultural heritage. Particularly for the patriarch
Juan, corn represents tradition, cultural roots, and a Mexican
past largely forgotten by most of his sons, except for
Jimmy and the promise that Carlitos represents. Thus, Nava
romanticizes the past and the indigenous bucolic life Juan
once led, reinforcing the film’s theme of remembrance. The
phallic symbolism of the corn stalks exemplifies the
phallocentric environment of the family, even serving as backdrop
to key dramatic scenes between male characters. We
never see female characters tending corn, except when engaged
in the “women’s work” of preparing food, assumed to
occur off camera. Absent from the film is any importance
placed on food as a social marker through which cultural identity,
community, and relationships are transacted. With the
exception of the wedding scene and Memo’s memorable home
visit, food is never shown in the film. Nava plays down the
ritual aspect of food and its major relevance to the Mexican,
Mexican American, Latina/o community.
La Casa/The House
Interior shots of the family’s home, painted in bright colors
and adorned by religious artifacts, convey the religiosity of the
family and demonstrate how Juan and Maria maintain their
cultural heritage. The home functions as a metaphor for the
culture and is the anchor of familial stability, reinforcing religious,
cultural, moral, and patriarchal identity. The recurring
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