Family TiesMi Familia presents the extraordinary tale of one
Latino family coping with the typical struggles of life in
America
By Jeffrey Shore
My Family/Mi Familia is an extraordinary film. Not because of
its light, entertaining tone. Not because of its consistently
impressive performances. Nor for its beautiful photography and high
production values, achieved on a shoestring budget.
No, Mi Familia is extraordinary because it is made by, and
about, the life of Latinos in America. And, with the weight of an
entire culture on its shoulders, Mi Familia carries this unfair
burden, and much more.
Though an industry assessment would have to label it a "Mexican
Moonstruck meets Green Card and Godfather," the film is actually
described very well by its simple title. Tracing the Sanchez family
across six decades, from the ’20s to the ’80s, it is the story of
one family, whose stories, though special and entertaining, are
probably not unusual.
We meet the future patriarch of this family as a teenager in a
remote village in Mexico, and follow him as he walks to Los
Angeles. We spend time with the Sanchez family, at weddings, at
dinners, at arguments. We watch children being born, and we watch
them die. We follow the family’s story, through tragedies and
triumphs, unsure of what comes next just like the Sanchez family
itself.
Like hungry prisoners finally released from captivity, the
actors in this project sink their teeth into their roles with such
vigor that every role drips with a tangible, realistic passion.
Jimmy Smits is stunning, making a convincing shift to the other
side of the law as Jimmy, a man whose repressed emotions keep
getting him in trouble; Esai Morales reaffirms himself as the best
bad boy big brother in Hollywood; and Edward Olmos brings a much
needed sense of levity and lightness.
In fact, the film achieves the odd distinction of rising above
its script. Almost as if the actors were pulling more out of the
script than was actually there, quite a few scenes work in spite of
the cliched words. And, like so many epics, Mi Familia occasionally
falls into the trap of depicting such seminal events in the lives
of its characters that we never get to see them as ordinary
people.
But, as co-written and directed by UCLA Film School graduate
Gregory Nava (El Norte), Mi Familia does manage to avoid most of
the pitfalls which one would expect from a film attempting to speak
to so many people. Rather than watering down the film’s ethnicity
to increase its mass appeal, Nava confidently understands that the
distinctly Latino, quirkily appealing Sanchez family is strongest
when it proudly displays its culture.
And, for Los Angelenos, the film holds an undeniably special
significance and indeed, message. In addition to the film’s
constant (and comic) references to "those pinche Westsiders," the
film casts our current controversies of immigration and
assimilation into a larger historical context.
For a lot of people  long time locals included  Mi
Familia is probably the first time that they’ll see some of the
struggles of the Latino population. Possibly it’s the first time
they’ll see fully realized, non-caricature Latinos. And, quite
likely, it’s the first time they’ll see East L.A.
Grade: A-
FILM: My Family/Mi Familia Written by Gregory Nava & Anna
Thomas. Directed by Gregory Nava. Starring Jimmy Smits, Esai
Morales, Edward James Olmos.